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Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Third Session

1st & 2nd Meetings (PM)

DESPITE PROGRESS OVER LAST DECADE, INDIGENOUS ISSUES REQUIRE GREATER ATTENTION,

PARTNERSHIPS, PERMANENT FORUM TOLD AS IT BEGINS THIRD SESSION

Indigenous Women Focus of Afternoon Panel Discussion

Indigenous people had made striking progress over the past decade, but continued to suffer from prejudice and ill-will, were often trapped in conflicts and conscripted into armed forces, and faced with summary executions, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as it opened its third session this morning.

He added that indigenous people also suffered from extreme poverty, disease, environmental destruction and, sometimes, permanent displacement. Stressing that such grave threats must be confronted without delay to keep them from festering and deepening, he said the time had come to give more concrete meaning to the motto of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People -- “partnership in action”.

Highlighting the importance of partnerships in reaching the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, he urged the United Nations, other relevant players and indigenous peoples themselves to build partnerships in promoting development, human rights and peace. However, those partnerships would only work with the genuine participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making and genuine sensitivity towards their cultures.

Bringing together over 1,500 participants from more than 500 indigenous groups worldwide, the Forum was focusing this year on “indigenous women”. Its ultimate aim is to draw up recommendations for the United Nations system, based on discussions in its mandated areas of economic and social development, environment, health, human rights, culture and education.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s concern, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo underscored the vital role of indigenous peoples in setting up the necessary institutions, funding and other mechanisms to reach the Millennium Goals. Stressing that the marginalization, extreme poverty, discrimination and other human rights violations they suffered must end, he said the international community should learn that participatory sustainable development was the road to peace and prosperity for all.

Speakers in the afternoon high-level panel discussion noted that indigenous women now had more opportunities to be heard in national and international forums. Among other developments, Forum Vice-Chairperson Njuma Ekundanayo said they had begun to use their traditional skills to act as mediators and negotiators in situations of conflict. Women should be integrated at all levels of decision-making and ensured conditions of security during armed conflicts, she stressed.

Addressing the role of indigenous women in society, Stella Tamang, Chairperson of the International Indigenous Women’s Caucus, said they served as the main protectors, preservers and transmitters of language, culture and identity. Yet, they were discriminated against on the basis on gender, race, class and culture. They were also among the world’s most marginalized groups, facing new and serious problems from the globalization race. The Human Genome Diversity Project, as well as powerful pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations, for example, had recently attempted to harvest indigenous women’s genes.

Other participants highlighted the importance of disaggregated indigenous data for women and girls, the need for a general conference on indigenous women, and for dialogue between ethnic groups to keep them from taking to the streets to force change. In some countries, they noted, conditions were worsening for indigenous peoples, with pregnant women languishing from lack of proper care, infant mortality rising, and children suffering from chronic malnutrition.

Also today, the Forum elected Ole Henrik Magga of Norway, as its Chairperson. Njuma Ekundanayo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Antonio Jacanamijoy of Colombia, Parshuram Taman of Nepal, and Mililani Trask of the United States were elected as Vice-Chairpersons, and Willie Littlechild of Canada as Rapporteur. In addition, the Forum adopted its agenda and organization of work.

Barbara Jones Snyder opened the session by singing an honouring song on behalf of the Washoe Tribe and the Painte Tribe of Nevada. Sidney Hill, indigenous elder and Chief of the Tadodaho tribe of the United States, also addressed the morning meeting, as did the Forum’s Chairperson and the President of the Economic and Social Council, Marjatta Rasi (Finland). In addition, four indigenous women, representing the four corners of the world, gave a blessing to the Permanent Forum.

Also making presentations during the panel discussion on indigenous women were Kyung-wha Kang, Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, and Fanny Pocaterra, who delivered a statement on behalf of her sister, Noeli Pocaterra, Second Vice-President of the National Assembly of Venezuela.

The Forum will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 11 May, to continue the panel discussion on indigenous women and to begin its consideration of education.

Background

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues met today to open its third session, elect its officers, and adopt the agenda and organization of work. It was expected to hold a high-level panel and dialogue on the session’s theme “Indigenous women”. (For background information, see Press Release HR/4741 of 4 May.)

Opening Ceremony

BARBARA JONES SNYDER opened the meeting by singing an honouring song on behalf of the Washoe Tribe and the Painte Tribe of Nevada.

JOSÉ ANTONIO OCAMPO, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, then introduced the ceremonial part of the meeting by introducing Tadodaho Chief SIDNEY HILL, who made welcoming remarks in his native language.

Following his election as Chairman of the Forum’s third session, OLE HENRIK MAGGA (Norway) drew attention to the Forum’s theme –- indigenous women –- and saluted the courage and strength of indigenous women in a landscape of risk. He hoped the Forum’s current session would produce a programme of work to ensure that indigenous women’s issues were advanced, and develop recommendations to make a real difference to the quality of life of indigenous women worldwide. The Forum must also consider and act on the outcomes of significant indigenous events, including the Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples and Information Society, and the Workshop on Data Collection and Disaggregation for Indigenous Peoples.

KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that striking achievements for indigenous peoples at the United Nations had marked the past 10 years -- the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. Not least of those was the creation of the Forum, which challenged the international community to ensure that the rights of one of humanity’s most marginalized groups were not only heard and debated, but protected and upheld.

However, he continued, indigenous peoples continued to suffer from prejudice and ill-will, were often trapped in conflicts, conscripted into armed forces, faced with summary executions, and relocated from their lands. They were also subject to extreme poverty, disease, environmental destruction and, sometimes, permanent displacement. Those grave threats must be confronted without delay, he stressed, or they would fester and deepen. The time had come to give more concrete meaning to the motto -- “partnership in action” -- of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.

The United Nations, governments, international organizations, civil society groups, private businesses and indigenous peoples themselves could form partnerships to promote development, human rights and peace, he said. Those partnerships would only work if indigenous peoples genuinely participated in decisions that affected them, and there was genuine sensitivity towards their cultures. Endorsing the inclusion of indigenous issues among the priorities of the United Nations Development Group for 2004, he encouraged all United Nations bodies to build partnerships and assist the Forum in implementing its mandate.

The pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 highlighted the importance of partnerships, he said, as indigenous peoples continued to suffer disproportionately from extreme poverty, child mortality, poor maternal health, barriers to primary education, and such infectious diseases as HIV/AIDS and malaria. The Forum’s theme this year drew attention to the vital role played by indigenous women –- not just in their communities, but in wider society as well. He hoped the Forum would find ways to ensure that international instruments promoted the rights of indigenous women and encouraged their greater involvement in decision-making.

MARJATTA RASI (Finland), President of the Economic and Social Council, said the Permanent Forum was fast becoming an indispensable part of the United Nations system, a focal point for indigenous issues at the United Nations and a meeting place for indigenous peoples, Member States and other stakeholders the world over. Among the accomplishments of its first two years, the Forum had made notable progress in raising awareness of indigenous issues and acting as a catalyst for different agencies in energizing the United Nations system. Furthermore, the interactive role of the Forum in gathering the views of different parties was unique and the participatory nature of its meetings commendable.

The cooperation witnessed between members of the Forum and representatives of non-governmental organizations and Member States exemplified the “partnership in action” called for in the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, she noted. It had also been gratifying to note the high degree of interest in the Forum’s work, shown by United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes and the World Bank. That interest served as proof of the success of the format adopted at the body’s inception four years ago.

Following that, four indigenous women, representing the four corners of the world, called on the ancestors to assist in completing the general recommendation on indigenous women’s rights and then gave a blessing to the Permanent Forum.

Under-Secretary-General OCAMPO said the Permanent Forum –- whose composition of half government-nominated experts and half indigenous-nominated experts testified to the extraordinary partnership that had been built within the United Nations –- was a unique body within the United Nations system. A clear increase in engagement in the work of the Forum by the United Nations system and others had been witnessed this year. The marginalization, extreme poverty, discrimination and other human rights violations to which indigenous peoples were subjected must be ended. The international community must learn that participatory human sustainable development constituted the road to peace and prosperity for all peoples, including indigenous peoples.

The Millennium Development Goals must include indigenous peoples in their implementation, he added. If those Goals were to be achieved by the year 2015, the necessary institutions, funding, programming and other mechanisms must be established this year with the participation of indigenous peoples. Indigenous women had a central role to play in that process. Among the issues to be tackled were data collection and disaggregation for indigenous peoples to end the invisibility or distortion of indigenous realities in statistics. Moreover, in view of the focus on strengthening implementation and monitoring to make its work more concrete, measurable and visible on the ground, the Permanent Forum might give consideration to innovative ideas, such as devoting a day of each session to a geographical region.

High-Level Panel

Forum Vice-Chairperson NJUMA EKUNDANAYO (Democratic Republic of the Congo) said that the present theme of “indigenous women” had been chosen because women were the mothers of humanity and their role as educators and informers had been preserved for them as they passed information from one generation to the next. That knowledge covered all areas of the biosphere. Since the world had existed, women had been worthy of praise. As to what differences existed between traditional and modern women, she said that differentiation was found in the behaviour of women. For example, indigenous women struggled to maintain traditional cultural roles, while modern women were further removed from their cultural identity and had adopted roles imposed on them by the dominating society. The latter had less to offer to humanity and societies in future generations. There was a feeling that women had broken the former balance between women and men.

Indigenous women now benefited from increased opportunity to make their voices heard in national and international forums, she continued. It should be recognized that relations between the genders in indigenous societies constituted elements of sociocultural systems, and could be easily stereotyped as posing a hindrance to development. However, as in all cultural traditions, indigenous culture was dynamic and indigenous women could not be treated as representing a single cultural tradition. Some societies had given women an important place, while in others they suffered from obstacles to socio-economic development. Modernity had worsened the position of women in traditional societies.

Among other developments, indigenous women had begun to use their skills and traditional values through social mechanisms to act as mediators and negotiators in situations of conflict, she added. Indigenous women were, thus, becoming visible on the international scene. Investing in indigenous women meant investing in the environment, in sustainable development and in the long-term well-being of all mankind. Women should be integrated at all levels of decision-making and ensured conditions of security during armed conflicts.

KYUNG-WHA KANG (Republic of Korea), Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, welcomed the Forum’s decision to focus this year on indigenous women, especially since the Beijing Plan of Action would be celebrating its tenth anniversary next year. The Commission’s session next year would be focused on implementing the outcomes of Beijing and “Beijing plus 5”, emphasizing the sharing of experiences and good practices on remaining implementation. It would aim to enhance the Commission’s profile, and strengthen momentum for further implementation by identifying gaps and future challenges. The Commission also welcomed the Forum’s focus on women because the Commission’s mandate included promoting gender mainstreaming in the United Nations system.

She said that the Commission had done little in the area of indigenous women, but referred to sections of the outcome documents of Beijing and “Beijing plus 5” that included indigenous women. For example, the documents mentioned the need to strengthen policies for indigenous women in development and poverty reduction, with respect for their cultural diversity. They also recognized the need to support the right of indigenous women and girls to education, and recognized that they were particularly vulnerable to violence. The documents also supported the economic activities of indigenous women, taking into account their traditional knowledge in supporting development.

STELLA TAMANG, Chairperson of the International Indigenous Women’s Caucus, said that indigenous women served as the main protectors, preservers and transmitters of language, culture and identity. Women’s patterns of duties and responsibilities had always complemented men’s. And while many discriminations were perpetrated against indigenous women in the name of tradition and culture, traditional balanced gender relations had, at the same time, undergone dramatic change as a consequence of incorporation into the dominant society. Indigenous women were subjected to discrimination and violence not just on the basis of gender, but also to social and economic discrimination on the basis of race, class and culture. Indigenous women were among the world’s most marginalized groups and faced new and serious problems as governments became caught up in the globalization race. Among recent negative developments were attempts to harvest indigenous women’s genes by the Human Genome Diversity Project, as well as powerful pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations.

Of particular concern, she continued, was the fact that indigenous women had been insufficiently engaged in the identification and management of protected areas. Also, armed conflict had a disproportionate effect on indigenous women and girls as they were targeted for specific forms of violence and abuse. In addition, the health of indigenous women in many parts of the world had deteriorated due to inadequate and limited access to health services, lack of clinics in remote areas, and deteriorating air, water and land quality. Alarming numbers of indigenous women were being trafficked and sold into prostitution, leading to the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases into indigenous communities.

Indigenous women were not homogeneous, but represented diverse backgrounds and situations, she concluded. However, they did share many concerns related to poverty, human rights and economic and social development. She especially highlighted the limitations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the invisibility of indigenous women within the United Nations human rights system. Also, the Permanent Forum should monitor and develop a follow-up mechanism to its 2003 recommendations on issues related to trafficking and sexual exploitation of indigenous girls.

FANNY POCATERRA, speaking on behalf of NOELI POCATERRA, Second Vice-President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, said that each indigenous community had an oral history and must be custodians of their knowledge. In Venezuela, indigenous peoples must focus not on past genocide, but on life, nature and their interconnections. All must unite to demonstrate the different ways of approaching life. Even in nature, there must be a variety of manifestations for life to exist. Indigenous women had been engaged in the biggest struggle, and now needed strength to ensure that their sons and daughters could embrace their names as their own.

In Venezuela, indigenous women were responsible for transmitting traditional knowledge from the birth of their children onwards, she said. They knew that the next wars might not be fought for gold, but for water, food and clean air. The challenge was to combine harmonious development with economic trends. In her country, new relations had been forged with the State, which was struggling to give dignity to indigenous peoples. The country’s Constitution now recognized indigenous rights, and the position of women had been nationally promoted. Indigenous women now enjoyed political rights, participating in the political assembly and municipal councils. Legislation supporting indigenous peoples had also been adopted, but laws were not enough, and women were tirelessly working at the social level to promote grass-roots indigenous participation.

She recommended that indigenous peoples undertake an educational campaign to reaffirm the original indigenous roots of communities in building respect for ethnic groups. Indigenous peoples should be given a positive image, not necessarily one associating them with poverty and degradation. In any development project in indigenous territories, there must be sufficient information and consultation with peoples and communities, so that they could understand the drawbacks of such development.

OLE HENRIK MAGGA, Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said that indigenous peoples were searching for their own answers in response to the growing issues of domestic violence and violence against women and children. Directly addressing the role of men and boys in promoting gender equality, he said that indigenous community organizations in many parts of the world had established programmes for men and boys to complement the work of women’s organizations. Those identified as good practices included indigenous men’s anti-violence projects, men’s groups and corporations to address domestic violence, youth programmes for boys promoting cultural education and values, peer counselling programmes, information campaigns and training programmes. Increasingly, indigenous men were recognizing the importance of maintaining the cultural value of respect for women and girls.

The gender equality revolution would only be won with the support of men and boys, he added. The limitations of conceptualizing the achievement of gender equality as a role-based/role-swapping model should be acknowledged. A more fertile approach might be to begin removing gender stereotypes from discussions of workplaces, communities and households and to explore ways of redefining tasks and roles by moving outside the gender dichotomy. Predominantly male parliaments and business leaders should address issues holding women back. Among other initiatives proposed, governments should ensure that gender mainstreaming was properly implemented within their practices and policies. Moreover, as a stronger sense of ownership came from involvement in the design, planning, implementation and management of development activities, engaging men and boys in community activities would enable women and men to try out new roles and behaviours. There was also a need to address men’s behaviour directly as perpetrators of violence and discrimination against women and to encourage positive male role models.

Discussion

During the discussion that followed, several speakers highlighted the importance of disaggregated indigenous data for women and girls, the visa problems many suffered in attending the Forum, and widespread discrimination against indigenous women. Others pointed to the need for a general conference on indigenous women to develop a global indigenous agenda; to raise awareness of indigenous peoples; and to hire indigenous women to key positions in United Nations agencies.

Participants also underscored the need for dialogue between ethnic groups, so that they would feel no need to take matters to the street to force change. In some countries, they noted, conditions were worsening for indigenous peoples, with pregnant women languishing from lack of proper care, infant mortality rising, and children born suffering from chronic malnutrition.

An indigenous woman from Australia highlighted the risks of many indigenous girls who were caught between their own culture and the non-indigenous world. In her country, the number of indigenous women attending higher education and finding professional employment had increased, but many still lived on welfare in communities with few basic services. The Forum should identify ways the United Nations system could better address the plight of indigenous women.

A member of the Forum, addressing Ms. Kyung-Wha, noted that indigenous women were preparing a document to take to “Beijing plus 10”. She also referred to reports detailing the needs of indigenous women by United Nations agencies, and suggested that the Commission on the Status of Women read them and perhaps set up an advisory body of indigenous women to become better informed about their plight.

Ms. KYUNG-WHA replied that the Forum would have ample opportunity to feed into the preparatory process leading up “Beijing plus 10”. The more they participated, the more they would be heard.

Among other issues stressed during the panel discussion was the importance of facilitating women’s control over fundamental assets such as land and capital. When their capacity to effect change had been ensured, women had proved powerful forces in their communities. Moreover, microfinancing played an important role in the establishment of self-help groups, which served to build community solidarity.

Another member of the Permanent Forum stressed that inadequacies in employment, health care and decision-making had hindered the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and urged consideration of those issues in the lead-up to “Beijing plus 10”.

Among other specific recommendations made by those addressing the Forum, the representative of Canada suggested that the Permanent Forum should consider how the efforts of indigenous women as agents of change were framed, and how the body could ensure their perspectives and priorities were taken into account in the gender mainstreaming priorities of United Nations agencies.

There were also calls for the establishment of a second International Decade on Indigenous People and for the Secretary-General to focus additional attention on the situation of indigenous women and children in armed conflict. Furthermore, as indigenous women played a vital role in the protection of the environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should organize a workshop on indigenous women and biological diversity.

In concluding comments, Ms. TAMANG said that the participation of indigenous women at various decision-making levels was a crucial issue, as had been highlighted by the repeated stressing of the need to build indigenous women’s capacity.

Returning to the questions posed specifically to herself as Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, Ms. KANG reminded the Permanent Forum that it was meeting at a very important time, with the maximum chance to make important contributions during the year leading up to “Beijing plus 10”.

Source: UN