United Nations General Assembly readies to vote historic Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Bikram Lairenlakpam, Convenor

Taking note of the recommendation of the Human Rights Council which adopted the 46 article text of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in June 2006, the UN General Assembly, the highest decision making organ of the United Nations Organisations is poised to adopt a historic new human rights Declaration on 13th September 2007 (tomorrow) during the concluding days of its 61st session.

The Declaration, which was a solemn commitment given by the international community to the indigenous and tribal peoples of the world more than two decades ago, will clearly elaborate, enshrine and establish the rights of indigenous peoples as international legal standards.

The United Nations recognised the deep and centuries-long discrimination that indigenous peoples and communities numbering about 400 million residing in more than 70 countries suffer from, particularly during the European colonial era and after, which saw many genocidal aggressions against them.

In 1923, Haudenosaunee Chief Deskaheh travelled to Geneva to speak to the League of Nations and defend the right of his people to live under their own laws, on the own land and under their own faith. Even though he was not allowed to speak and returned home in 1924, his vision nourished the generations that followed.

A similar journey was made by Maori religious leader T.W. Ratana to protest the breaking of the Treaty of Waitangi concluded with the Maori in New Zealand in 1840 that gave Maori ownership of their lands, Ratana first traveled to London with a large delegation first to petition King George, but he was denied access. He then sent part of his delegation to Geneva to the League of Nations and arrived there later himself, in 1925, but was also denied access.

Based on the finding and recommendations of the monumental study carried out its Special Rapporteur, Mr Martinez Cobo, in the 80s, the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities took up a historic serious and open examination of the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous populations. It was the Sub-Commissions Working Group on Indigenous Populations that elaborated the first draft of the Declaration after many years of consultation with indigenous peoples and legal experts worldwide.

The adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the 61st General Assembly is an event that millions have waited for, and it is only fitting that despite many delays it should become a reality during the Second International Decade of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples.

Fuente: Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE)

NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations