Extension of deadline for applications- Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Department of International Law informs you that the deadline for applications to be considered by the Selection Board in order to participate in the Meeting of Negotiations, which was initially planned to be today, Friday October 22nd, at 11:59 a.m., has been extended until next Friday, October 29 2010, at 1:00 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time).

In order to ensure the effective participation of the representatives of the indigenous peoples, the Department of International Law extends the invitation to apply to be able to participate in the “Thirteenth Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus” of the Working Group to Prepare the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

This Meeting will take place at the OAS Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 18 to 20, 2011. It will be preceded by a meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, to be held on January 15 to 16, 2011. Individuals selected are required to be in Washington, D.C., between Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 22, 2011.

The OAS will cover the cost of air fares, board and lodging of individuals selected.

Additional information about the requirements along with the corresponding sample documents may be found in the following link:

http://www.oas.org/dil/indigenous_peoples_Negotiations_XIII_Meeting_of_Negotiations.htm

We respectfully request to send all application to Ms. Veronica Alonso by e-mail (valonso@oas.org) or via fax to +1-202-458-3293.

Kind regards,
Department of International Law
Organization of American States

En Espanol: Cambio de plazo límite para la presentación de candidaturas - Proyecto de Declaración Americana sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas

It's not enough to support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, says UN expert

The following statement has been issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

GENEVA - "The poorest among the poor, indigenous peoples continue to be at the margins of power and, in many cases, disregard of their basic human rights escalates into violence against them," said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, in commemoration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

"However, they have preserved, generation after generation, an extraordinary wealth of knowledge, culture, and spirituality in the common benefit of humankind, contributing significantly to the world's diversity and environmental sustainability," the UN independent expert noted.

"Still, it is painfully apparent that historical patterns of oppression continue to manifest themselves in ongoing barriers to the full enjoyment of human rights by indigenous peoples," Mr. Anaya said. "Indigenous peoples continue to see their traditional lands invaded by powerful actors seeking wealth at their expense, thereby depriving them of life-sustaining resources."

These ongoing threats shed light on the need for a stronger commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples*, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007. It affirms the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination and equality, and to maintain their distinctive cultures within traditional territories. Since its adoption, the very few States that voted against it have changed or are in the process of reassessing their positions. Nevertheless, the human rights expert warned that a great deal remains to be done to see the objectives of the Declaration become a reality in the everyday lives of indigenous peoples.

"Today the Declaration remains more of a reminder of how far there is to go in bringing justice and dignity to the lives of indigenous peoples than a reflection of what has actually been achieved on the ground." The Special Rapporteur expressed his fear that the wide gap between the Declaration and its effective implementation will persist, leading to a certain complacency and acceptance of that condition: "This cannot be allowed to happen; the faithful implementation of the Declaration must be the focus of concerted attention by governments worldwide, the UN system, and other actors."

As part of this action, States should engage in comprehensive reviews of their existing legislation and administrative programs to identify where they may be incompatible with the Declaration. On the basis of such review, necessary legal and programmatic reforms should be developed and implemented, in consultation with indigenous peoples. Similarly, States should be committed to devoting significant human and financial resources to the measure required to implement the Declaration. These resources will typically be required for the demarcation and protection of indigenous lands, the development of culturally appropriate educational programs, support for indigenous self-governance institutions, and the many other measures contemplated by the Declaration.

The Special Rapporteur notes that many important measures have already been taken by States and other actors to implement the Declaration, and expresses his sincere hope is that such initiatives will take root much more broadly than they have to date, and that experiences will be shared to strengthen these initiatives.

"Implementing indigenous peoples' rights under the Declaration will bring historical justice to this too often ignored segment of humanity and help advance principles of equality, self-determination and respect for diversity, which that are basic tenets of the modern human rights system," Mr. Anaya said.

On 26 March 2008, the Human Rights Council appointed Professor S. James Anaya as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, for an initial period of three years. Professor Anaya is the James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of Arizona (USA).

(*) Check the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/512/07/PDF/N0651207.pdf?OpenElement

Source: www.un.org

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

You are hereby invited to attend the observance of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People at the United Nations Headquarters in Conference Room 1 in the temporary North awn building, on Monday 9 August from 2 pm to 5 pm.

It is organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in cooperation with the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The theme of the observance at UN Headquarters will be celebrating indigenous film making.

Those who wish to attend the observance should register by noon Friday 6
August, by sending an email with full name at: indigenous_un@un.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please note that those who have not registered will not get a day pass, and
will thus not be able to attend.

Holders of valid UN grounds passes do not need to register.

The event will begin at 2 pm. Participants must enter the UN grounds through the Visitor’s Entrance on 1st. Avenue facing 45th Street. After going through the entrance, participants should go directly to the table where SPFII staff will hand out day passes to those who have registered.

Day passes will be available at the table from 1 pm until 2:15 pm. It is essential that participants bring photo ID when picking up their day passes.

The programme will include the screening of 4 amazing short films made by indigenous filmmakers and will be followed by a Q&A session with three of the directors.

The provisional programme is as follows...

2:00 – 2:45 PM Welcome Ceremony

Welcome by Master of Ceremonies Roberto Múkaro Borrero (Taíno, Puerto
Rico), Chairperson, NGO Committee on the International Decade of the
World’s Indigenous Peoples

Traditional welcome by Mr. Kevin Tarrent (Ho Chunk)

Message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Message by Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha
Zukang

Message from the Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, Mr. Carlos Mamani (by representative of DESA)


2:45 - 3:45 PM Screening of four short movies by indigenous filmmakers

Brazil: Marangmotxingo Mïrang/From the Ikpeng Children to the World
Directed by Kumaré Txicão (Ikpeng), Karané Txicão (Ikpeng), and Natuyu
Yuwipo Txicão (Ikpeng)

Sweden: Curte-Nillas:(short) movie) Directed by Mr. Per-Josef Idivuoma (
Sámi)

Puerto Rico: Taino Indians counted out of existence Directed by Mr. Alex
Zacarias (Taíno)

Alaska: Sukumi - On the ice Directed by Mr. Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
(Inupiaq)


3:45 - 5:00 PM Question and answer session with indigenous filmmakers

Moderator: Ms. Reaghan Tarbell, from the National Museum of the American
Indian

Film Directors: Mr. Per-Josef Idivuoma, Mr. Alex Zacarias and Mr. Andrew
Okpeaha Maclean


The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is officially commemorated annually on 9 August in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.


Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
www.un.org/indigenous
indigenous_un@un.org
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
DC2-1454

Application forms 2011 UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations

Dear all,

Please click on the link below to download the 2011 application form for the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. The fund provides financial assistance to indigenous delegates wishing to attend the 4th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 10th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Please be kindly reminded that the deadline for applying is 1st october 2010. If you need more information you can consult our website http://www2.ohchr.org/english/about/funds/indigenous/ or contact us by email: mclerc@ohchr.org.

Mélanie Clerc
Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Unit
UN Voluntary Fund on Indigenous Populations
UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office Motta 2.31
Email: mclerc@ohchr.org
Postal adress: OHCHR - Palais des Nations
CH 1211 Geneva, 10
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 928 9737
Fax: +41 22 928 9010

Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade

Applications for grants under the Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade will be accepted between 1 July 2010 and 1 October 2010

Applications for grants under the Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade will be accepted between 1 July 2010 and 1 October 2010. Applications are to be submitted to: indigenousfund@un.org during this time period. Applications submitted outside of this time period or to other email addresses will not be considered for funding. The proposals will be assessed by the Bureau of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2011 and successful applicants will receive notice thereafter. A list of organizations awarded grants will also be posted on this website.

Please note:
- Project must have a focus on indigenous peoples
- All applicants must submit their project proposals in accordance with the Trust Fund
Project Proposal Format and include both a summary sheet and a proposal document
- Projects will be disregarded if the required information is not present.
- Additional information pertaining to the proposal will not be accepted beyond the deadline of submission (1 October 2011)

Please visit our webpage to obtain updated grant information and application
materials: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/second_trustfund.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Las solicitudes para subvenciones del Programa de Pequeñas Donaciones dentro del marco del Segundo Decenio Fondo Fiduciario para el Segundo Decenio serán aceptadas entre el 1 de julio y el 1 de octubre del 2010.

Las solicitudes deben ser enviadas a: indigenousfund@un.org durante este plazo. Las solicitudes recibidas fuera de este plazo o enviadas a otras direcciones de email no serán consideradas. Las solicitudes serán evaluadas en mayo del 2011 y los candidatos exitosos serán notificados después de esta fecha. La lista de las organizaciones que reciban subsidios estará disponible en esta página web.

Por favor tomar en consideración:
- El proyecto debe tener un enfoque sobre pueblos indígenas
- Todos los candidatos deben someter sus propuestas de proyecto de acuerdo con
el formato de Propuesta del Proyecto y adjuntar la hoja resumen y el documento
de propuesta.
- Los proyectos que no tengan la información requerida no serán considerados.
- Información adicional relacionada con la propuesta no será aceptada una vez
vencido el plazo de presentación (1 de octubre de 2010).

Visite por favor esta página web para obtener información y materiales actualizados sobre las solicitudes: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/es/second.html