10th Anniversary of the UNDRIP

Statement by the Chair of the UNPFII on the 10th Anniversary of the UNDRIP

September 13, 2017

United Nations Headquarters, New York –

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the UN General Assembly in 2007.

No words can describe the feeling of joy, ten years ago, when the Declaration after thirty long years of struggle in its drafting was finally adopted. With the Declaration, Indigenous Peoples now got an international standard that specifically articulated their individual and collective rights as well as their rights to identity, language, health, education and other issues. Over the following years, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples began to have international and national impact across the world. Some countries now recognise indigenous peoples in their constitutions; others have legislation and policies in place to address historical injustices and promote the rights, identity and worldviews of indigenous peoples. National and regional courts are invoking the Declaration to protect indigenous peoples’ rights. These are good news that we need to learn from and bring forward.

Continued here.

16th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues - 24 April - 5 May, 2017

The 16th Session of the UNPFII has opened in the United Nations in New York. The theme of the session is the
"Tenth Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: measures taken to
implement the Declaration.”

Additional information is on the UNPFII web page and at Cultural Survival.

Dirtsong speaks about Aboriginal Australia with individual and collective truths

Vancouver Sun:

STUART DERDEYN
More from Stuart Derdeyn
Published on: January 28, 2017 | Last Updated: January 28, 2017 7:12 AM PST

Dirtsong

(part of PuSh Festival)

Feb. 4, 8 p.m. | Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Tickets and info: $25-$45, at Ticketfly.com

In September 2016, DNA testing results reported from a University of Copenhagen study lead by evolutionary geneticist Eske Willerslev proved Aboriginal Australians are the oldest continuous civilization on Earth.


Tests of modern populations in Australia and Papua New Guinea revealed an unbroken civilization over 50,000 years old. These findings corroborated oral histories recounting ancestors leaving Africa and migrating some 75,000 years ago, around 25,000 years earlier than those who would settle in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Sometimes it pays to ask. You might learn something.

“The truth is that in everyday life in modern Australia, you don’t hear much of anything about Aboriginals, or indigenous culture, in mainstream news media,” said Fred Leone of Black Arm Band, which is presenting the show.

“You mainly hear the negatives in terms of culture. So we came together to play a part in the need for there to be a dialogue moving forward about our cultures.”

http://vancouversun.com/entertainment/festivals/dirtsong-speaks-about-aboriginal-australia-with-individual-and-collective-truths