3rd Indigenous Leaders Summit On Course

Damon Corrie and Roberto Borrero at the offices of the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa, Canada (UCTP Photo)

Ottawa, Canada (UCTP Taíno News) – A planning meeting for the upcoming 3rd Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas was held February 27-28, 2008 in Ottawa, Canada. The meeting was hosted by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Native Womens Association of Canada.

Three representatives from the Caribbean Region were invited to attend as members of the planning committee – Damon Corrie (Barbados), Albert DeTerville (St. Lucia), and Roberto Borrero (Puerto Rico).

The Indigenous Leaders Summit will present a Declaration and Plan of Action to the 5th OAS Summit of the Americas that will be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad from April 17 – 19, 2009.

The Summit location has not yet been confirmed, but current choices location choices include Venezuela, Panama, and St. Lucia. Trinidad is also being considered but as a result of the OAS Summit, logistics could present a problem. While the cost and other factors will determine the actual meeting site, members of the local indigenous community are still hopeful that the Indigenous Summit will come to Trinidad.

“To not have this meeting in Trinidad would be a shame” stated Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez of the Santa Rosa Carib Community. Currently, the Santa Rosa Community is the only community on the island recognized by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Close to 100 hundred indigenous leaders from throughout the hemisphere are expected to attend the meeting. Participants will be representative of 4 regions – South America; Central America & Mexico; North America (U.S.A & Canada ); and the Caribbean with about 20 participants per region.

Corrie was appointed to head the Communications Sub-Committee while DeTerville and Borrero will work with the Technical Committee. Outreach has already been circulated in the Caribbean Region for the delegate nominees.

The 3rd Indigenous Summit of the Americas will take place from April 14-15, 2009.

UCTPTN 03.05.2009

New Summit Blog Launched from Trinidad

UCTP Taino News – A new blog focusing on "the upcoming Fourth Summit of the Peoples, the alternative to the fifth installment of the Organization of American States "Summit of the Americas" conferences has been launched from Trinidad. Entitled "Small World" the blog hopes to be an online forum where "voices from the Caribbean — farmers and fisherfolk, anti-smelter and gender activists etc. — can connect with each other and others across the globe".

The Fourth Summit of the Peoples is scheduled to be held April 16-18 while the OAS Summit of the Americas is schedule to take from April 17 – 19, 2009 in Port of Spain,Trinidad. The theme of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, "Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability" was developed in close consultation with member countries and partner institutions of the Summit Process.

Small World is located on the world-wide web at http://sctheodore.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/hello-world/.

Obama and Chavez to attend OAS summit in Trinidad

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago is to host one of the biggest conferences in April next year - the Summit of the Americas, which will be attended by 24 world leaders including the presidents of the United States and Venezuela.

The twin island republic is busy making preparations for the summit and the government has already indicated that it will declare April 17 -- the date of the opening of the conference -- a public holiday.

A top level local organising committee comprises the Minister of Trade and Industry Kenny Saith, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert, Utilities Minister Mustapha Abdul Hamid, Local Government Minister Hazel Manning, Education Minister Esther Le Gendre and several other top level personnel.

The Trinidad Guardian, in a front page article, said that security is the main concern because of the presence of the two dozen world leaders and a source said that recommendations were made to lock down parts of Port of Spain for three days during the summit.

The meeting will take place in Port of Spain, where two cruise ships will dock to accommodate the overflow of guests attending the meeting.

This is the first time that a Summit of the Americans will take place in the Caribbean.

Author: Oscar Ramjeet
Source: Caribbean Net News

Two-Week Session on Indigenous Issues Opens at United Nations

New York, NY (UCTP News) - As delicate ecosystems supporting millions of lives hang in the balance, indigenous representatives from around the globe began a two-week session of discussions on Monday, May 14 with top United Nations officials, Government representatives and members of civil society to highlight the struggle to defend their rights to access and use the land and natural resources in their territories...

Among the participants attending the meeting, Chief Reginaldo Fredericks of the Joboshirima Lokono Arawak Community of Venezuela noted the importance of meeting stating “it is critical for us as Indigenous Peoples to follow-up on the recommendations made and report on these activities to our peoples.”

Chief Fredericks is a member of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean, which forms annually at the UN meeting to lobby Caribbean indigenous issues...

To see the full story:
http://uctp.blogspot.com/2007/05/two-week-session-on-indigenous-issues.html