Indigenous and Ethnic Minority International Legal News

500th Anniversary Conference on Universality in Human Rights

2011-12-14T13:10:00.002-05:00

On December 2-4, 2011 the Universal Human Rights Conference, 500 Year Anniversary of Antonio de Montesinos, was held in Washington, D. C. The conference website contains the plan of the conference and will contain publications of the conference.

The conference included Sunday, December 4, 2011, the conventionally identified date in 1511 when Antonio de Montesinos delivered a sermon in Santo Domingo calling for reform of Spanish policy toward the indigenous. That sermon launched a Spanish debate about the human rights of the Indians, which in turn contributed to later advocacy of the principle that human rights apply to all people, regardless of nationality. The new Spanish film Tambien La Lluvia (Even the Rain) has as its core purpose considering the legacy of Montesinos.

UN World Human Rights Day and the Genocide Convention

2011-12-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

December 10th was World Human Rights Day. The UN has a web page on the celebration.https://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/2011/index.shtml It marks the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

December 9th was the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide: https://www.un.org/millennium/law/iv-1.htm. See also the discussion at the bottom of this page: https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40682&Cr=human+rights+day&Cr1=

Waitangi Tribunal releases WAI 262: Ko Aotearoa Tēnei: A Report into Claims Concerning New Zealand Law and Policy Affecting Māori Culture and Identity

2011-11-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

After 20 years the Waitangi Tribunal has released a comprehensive report that covers Maori Culture and Identity within New Zealand law and the Waitangi Treaty. The press release is located here: http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/news/media/wai262.asp

The Report can be downloaded from this link:

Ko Aotearoa Tēnei: A Report into Claims Concerning New Zealand Law and Policy Affecting Māori Culture and Identity

United Nations Day

2011-10-24T11:56:00.003-04:00

Today the United Nations celebrates the coming into force of the treaty establishing the United Nations in 1945. A number of programs are scheduled at UN Headquarters as detailed on this 2011 United Nations Day page.

2011 International Day of the World's Indigenous People

2011-08-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

"Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting their own future"

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of “A Decade for Action and Dignity.”

The focus of this year’s International Day will be Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future.

National Aboriginal Day/La Journée nationale des Autochtones in Canada, 21 June

2011-06-20T21:03:00.003-04:00

National Aboriginal Day in Canada

"Canada’s National Aboriginal Day is annually held on June 21 to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of the nation’s Aboriginal peoples. There are three Aboriginal groups in Canada – the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples".

"Quick Facts
National Aboriginal Day celebrates Canada’s Indigenous culture and the achievements made by the country’s Aboriginal peoples.
Local names
Name Language
National Aboriginal Day English
La Journée nationale des Autochtones French

National Aboriginal Day 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011

National Aboriginal Day 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012"

Continued: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/national-aboriginal-day

GALDU: Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2011-05-31T14:19:00.000-04:00

A Sami organization sponsored by the Norwegian government:

Their ABOUT US statement:

Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was established by an order of the Norwegian government. The centre is located in Guovdageaidnu-Kautokeino, in Finnmark county.

The resource centre shall increase information about the rights of Saami and other indigenous peoples.The Centre is independent, governed by an own board.

The Centre is funded by Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusions and by Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

160 Million Outcasts in India

2011-05-29T12:21:00.000-04:00

An interesting article form the Weekly Blitz giving an overview of the Caste System in India commenting on possible British influence on the system and recent DNA studies.

WIPO Members To Work Toward Treaty On Folklore, Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources

2011-05-08T19:54:00.002-04:00

From Intellectual Property Watch

6 May 2011

WIPO Members To Work Toward Treaty On Folklore, Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources

By Catherine Saez

Building on recent momentum that has produced negotiating texts towards an international instrument to protect folklore, traditional knowledge and genetic resources, delegates to the World Intellectual Property Organization next week will try to clean the texts that still bear signs of division.

The 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) is taking place from 9-13 May.

On Monday, WIPO is organising a panel on “Indigenous Peoples’ Collective Rights and Intellectual Property” [pdf] which will host James Anaya, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as keynote speaker. The event will also feature Estebancio Castro Diaz, executive secretary, International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, Panamá; Repeta Puna, policy advisor, Office of the Prime Minister, Cook Islands; and Eliamani Isaya Laltaika, coordinator, Tanzania Intellectual Property Rights Network.

Continued at Intellectual Property Watch

Selected Recent Articles

2011-03-06T15:34:00.001-05:00

Steven James Anaya--International human rights and indigenous peoples
Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala
Malawi Law Journal, Volume 4, Number 1, 2010, p.151

SYMPOSIUM: ON THE PROSPECTS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Pace Environmental Law Review, Volume 28, Number 1, Fall 2010

"Minimum Standards:" The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Nicholas A. Robinson
Pace Environmental Law Review, Volume 28, Number 1, Fall 2010, p.346

Cultural and Economic Self-Determination for Tribal Peoples in the United States, Supported by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Angelique Eagle Woman (Wambdi A. Wastewin)
Pace Environmental Law Review, Volume 28, Number 1, Fall 2010, p.357

Book Review: L. May: Genocide: A Normative Account New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. xi, 283 pp. $85.00. ISBN 978-0-521-12296-2
Ross Kleinstuber
International Criminal Justice Review, Volume 21, Number 1, March 2011, p.85-86

Science, Colonialism, and Indigenous Peoples: The Cultural Polities of Law and Knowledge.
Reviewed by Glen Medves
Canadian Law Library Review, Volume 35, Numbers 3 & 4, 2010, p.141

Broken Landscape: Indians, Indian Tribes, and the Constitution— Frank Pommersheim
Reviewed by Angela R. Riley
Journal of Legal Education, Volume 60, Number 3, February 2011, p.569

Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights Regarding Indigenous Peoples: Retrospect and Prospects
Koivurova, Timo
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 18, Number 1, 2011, p.1-37

Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia: At Risk of Disappearing as Distinct Peoples in the Rush for Biofuel?
Colbran, Nicola
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 18, Number 1, 2011, p.63-92

Ko Ngā Take Tare Māori: What a Difference a 'Drip' Makes: The Implications of Officially Endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Kiri Rangi Toki
Auckland University Law Review, Volume 16, 2010, p.243

CLJC search: INDIGENE*

'AN ESSENTIAL GHOST': INDIGENEITY WITHIN THE LEGAL ARCHIVE
Kathleen Birrell
Australian Feminist Law Journal, Volume 33, December 2010, p.81

III. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA: THE PRAGMATIC REVOLUTION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS
Jérémie Gilbert
International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Volume 60, Number 1, January 2011, p.245-270

Cultural genocide and indigenous peoples: a sociological approach
Damien Short
International Journal of Human Rights, Volume 14, Number 6, November 2010, p.833-848

Indigenous Peoples as International Lawmakers
Lillian Aponte Miranda
University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, Volume 32, Number 1, Fall 2010, p.203

Recognising Indigenous Peoples
Environmental Policy and Law, Volume 40, Number 5, 2010, p.217

Statutory interpretation and indigenous property rights
Sean Brennan
Public Law Review, Volume 21, Number 4, December 2010, p.239

Shadow War Scholarship, Indigenous Legal Tradition, and Modern Law in Indian Country
Christine Zuni Cruz
Tribal Law Journal, Volume 9, 2008-2009

The Right of Ethnic Minorities to Free Interpretation in Criminal Proceedings under International Law: With Special Reference to China
Lijiang Zhu
Journal of East Asia and International Law, Volume 3, Number 2, Autumn 2010

Book Review: P. Gaeta(Ed.) The UN Genocide Convention: A Commentary Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. viii, 590 pp. $150.00. ISBN 978-0-19-957021-8
Mark A. Winton
International Criminal Justice Review, Volume 20, Number 4, December 2010, p.453-454

Review Essay—The Arc of Triumph and the Agony of Defeat: Mexican Americans and the Law
Reviewed by Michael A. Olivas
Journal of Legal Education, Volume 60, Number 2, November 2010, p.354

'IN LAND WE TRUST': THE ENDOROIS' COMMUNICATION AND THE QUEST FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS IN AFRICA
Korir Sing' Oei A. & Jared Shepherd
Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, Volume 16, 2010, p.57

Agency in international climate negotiations: the case of indigenous peoples and avoided deforestation
Heike Schroeder
International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Volume 10, Number 4, December 2010, p.317-332

SPIRIT FOOD AND SOVEREIGNTY: PATHWAYS FOR PROTECTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' SUBSISTENCE RIGHTS
Allison M. Dussias
Cleveland State Law Review, Volume 58, Number 2, 2010, p.273

CLJC search: INDIGENE*

Hawaiian Blood: Colonialism and the Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity. By J. Kēhaulani Kauanui
Nicholas Buchanan
Law & Society Review, Volume 44, Numbers 3-4, September/December 2010, p.879-881

The Protection of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in International Law: A Comparative Temporal Analysis
Castellino, Joshua
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 17, Number 3, 2010, p.393-422

Ralph Wilde, International Territorial Administration: How Trusteeship and the Civilizing Mission Never Went Away, Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-199-27432-1, 640 pp.
reviewed by Bernhard Knoll
Vienna Online Journal on International Constitutional Law, Volume 4, Issue 1, March 2010, p.147

A GLOBALLY SUSTAINABLE RIGHT TO LAND: UTILIZING REAL PROPERTY TO PROTECT THE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Jennifer Lynn Zweig
Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, Volume 38, Number 3, Spring 2010, p.769

Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage, by James Cuno
Reviewed by Phaedra Livingstone
Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, Volume 40, Number 3, July-September 2010, p.238

Sovereign States and Self-Determining Peoples: Carving Out a Place for Transnational Indigenous Peoples in a World of Sovereign States
Koivurova, Timo
International Community Law Review, Volume 12, Number 2, May 2010, p.191-212

CLJC search: INDIGENE*

No search results found

CLJC search: "ETHNIC MINORIT*"

Economic Conditions and Minority Violence: An introduction to “Violent Victimization among Males and Economic Conditions: The Vulnerability of Race and Ethnic Minorities”
Alfred Blumstein
Criminology & Public Policy, Volume 9, Issue 4, September 2010, p.659-663

Violent victimization among males and economic conditions: The vulnerability of race and ethnic minorities
Janet L. Lauritsen and Karen Heimer
Criminology & Public Policy, Volume 9, Issue 4, September 2010, p.665-692

Book Review: The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand's Law and Constitution
Carwyn Jones
New Zealand Journal of Public and International Law, Volume 7, Number 2, 2009, p.367

Bridging the Divide between Genomic Science and Indigenous Peoples
Bette Jacobs, Jason Roffenbender, Jeff Collmann, Kate Cherry, LeManuel Lee Bitsói, Kim Bassett and Charles H. Evans Jr.
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Volume 38, Number 3, Fall 2010, p.684-696

CLJC search: INDIGENE*

No search results found

CLJC search: "ETHNIC MINORIT*"

John Wrench, Diversity Management and Discrimination. Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities in the EU (Ashgate Publishing, 2007), ISBN 978-0754648901 (hardback)
Tim Dertwinkel
European Yearbook of Minority Issues, Volume 7, 2007/2008, p.769

INDIGENOUS CHILDREN'S RIGHTS - INTERNATIONAL LAW, SELF-DETERMINATION AND INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION IN GUATEMALA
Sarah Sargent
Contemporary Issues in Law, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2008/2009, p.1

Getting over the Hump: Establishing a Right to Environmental Protection for Indigenous Peoples in the Inter-American Human Rights System
Travis Thompson
Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy, Volume 19, Number 1, Fall 2009, p.179

Third Party Petitions as a Means of Protecting Voluntarily Isolated Indigenous Peoples
Nickolas M. Boecher
Sustainable Development Law & Policy, Volume 10, Number 1, Fall 2009, p.58

International Law from Below: Development, Social Movements and Third World Resistance (Balakrishnan Rajagopal)
Reviewed by John Reynolds
Palestine Yearbook of International Law, Volume 15, 2009, p.435

Human Genetic Biobanks in Asia: Politics of Trust and Scientific Advancement By Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner (Editor)
Reviewed by Don Chalmers
SCRIPTed: a Journal of Law, Technology & Society, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2010, p.216-220

Indigenous Rights and United Nations Standards: Self-Determination, Culture and Land By Alexandra Xanthaki
Reviewed by Marcus Goffe
SCRIPTed: a Journal of Law, Technology & Society, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2010, p.221-225

LAW AT ITS MARGINS: QUESTIONS OF IDENTITY, RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ANCESTRAL DOMAINS AND THE DIFFUSION OF LAW
Marvic M.V.F. Leonen
Philippine Law Journal, Volume 83, Number 4, June 2009, p.787

Human Rights Litigation and Restrictive State Implementation of Strasbourg Court Judgments: The Case of Ethnic Minorities from Southeast Europe
Dia Anagnostou and Yonko Grozev
European Public Law, Volume 16, Number 3, September 2010, p.401

The Abbot's New House: Thinking about How Religion Works among Buddhists and Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China
Thomas Borchert
Journal of Church and State, Volume 52, Number 1, Winter 2010, p.112

Book Review: Decolonization and the Evolution of International Human Rights By Roland Burke, Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 264 pp. $55 (Cloth), ISBN 081224219X
Frederick Cowell
Law, Culture and the Humanities, Volume 6, Number 3, October 2010, p.455-457

Book Review: Sovereignty, Knowledge, Law By Panu Minkkinen, Abingdon: Routledge, 2009. 186 + x pp. $120.00 (Cloth). ISBN: 978-0-415-47241-8
Ben Golder
Law, Culture and the Humanities, Volume 6, Number 3, October 2010, p.457-458

Burying Indigeneity: The Spatial Construction of Reality and Aboriginal Australia
Rowland Atkinson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Maggie Walter
Social & Legal Studies, Volume 19, Number 3, September 2010, p.311-330

Policing Indigenous Peoples on Two Colonial Frontiers: Australia's Mounted Police and Canada's North-West Mounted Police
Amanda Nettelbeck and Russell Smandych
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, Volume 43, Number 2, August 2010, p.356

Reparations for Indigenous Peoples: International and Comparative Perspectives (Federico Lenzerini ed.)
Raymond Steenkamp Fonseca
Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 3, August 2010, p.768

The International Labour Organization and the Quest for Social Justice, 1 919-2009, Gerry Rodgers, Eddy Lee, Lee Sweptson and Jasmien Van Daele
reviewed by James Gross
Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal, Volume 31, Number 4, Summer 2010, p.851

Federico Lenzerini (ed.), Reparations for Indigenous Peoples: International and Comparative Perspectives
Jérémie Gilbert
Human Rights Law Review, Volume 10, Number 3, 2010, p.586-589

There are no such things as universal human rights-on the predicament of indigenous peoples, for example
Ulf Johansson Dahre
International Journal of Human Rights, Volume 14, Number 5, September 2010, p.641-657

Inconvenient marriages, or what happens when ethnic minorities marry trans-jurisdictionally
Prakash Shah
Utrecht Law Review, Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2010, p.17-32

Book Review - Patents and Technological Progress in a Globalized World — Liber Amicorum Joseph Straus
Firth, Alison
European Intellectual Property Review, Volume 32, Issue 4, 2010, p.184-368

After Genocide: Bringing the Devil to Justice, by Adam M. Smith and Building the International Criminal Court, by Benjamin N. Schiff
reviewed by Rosa Aloisi
Judicature, Volume 93, Number 5, March-April 2010

Keynote Address: Indigenous Peoples and Global Climate Change: Intercultural Models of Climate Equity
Rebecca Tsosie
Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, Volume 25, Number 1, 2010, p.7

CLJC search: INDIGENE*

Hawaiian Blood: Colonialism and the Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity by J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Katharine Bjork
PoLar: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, Volume 33, Number 1, May 2010, p.170-172

Indigeneity in the Courtroom: Law, Culture, and the Production of Difference in North American Courts by Jennifer A. Hamilton
Larry Nesper
PoLar: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, Volume 32, Number 2, November 2009, p.349-352

Book Review: YLVA HERNLUND AND BETTINA SHELL-DUNCAN (eds), Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in Global Context. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2007, lix + 373 pp., ISBN 0813540259, £67.50 (hbk)
J. Steven Svoboda
Social & Legal Studies, Volume 19, Number 2, June 2010, p.258-260

Speech by Zoni Weisz to the German Budestag

2011-01-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism

On 27 January, the German Bundestag held a Ceremony of Remembrance for the victims of National Socialism. Parliament has held a ceremony each year since 1996 on this date, on which the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945. The guest speaker this year was Mr Zoni Weisz, a Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands and representative of the Sinti. A video of the speech is on the Budestag home page.

In 2005, January 27 was been declared International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations. This year the Remembrance speech to the German Bundestag was give by Zoni Weisz, a member of the Sinti, a part of the Roma minority. Along with six million Jews and millions of others, 500,000 Roma were murdered in the Holocaust. The Roma continue to be a persecuted minority within Europe, see the webpage of the European Roma Rights Centre.

US announces Support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2010-12-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Announcement of U.S. Support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Initiatives to Promote the Government-to-Government Relationship & Improve the Lives of Indigenous Peoples

I. Introduction

In his Presidential Proclamation last month honoring National Native American Heritage Month, President Obama recommitted ―to supporting tribal self-determination, security and prosperity for all Native Americans.‖ He recognized that ―[w]hile we cannot erase the scourges or broken promises of our past, we will move ahead together in writing a new, brighter chapter in our joint history.‖

It is in this spirit that the United States today proudly lends its support to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Declaration). In September 2007, at the United Nations, 143 countries voted in favor of the Declaration. The United States did not. Today, in response to the many calls from Native Americans throughout this country and in order to further U.S. policy on indigenous issues, President Obama announced that the United States has changed its position. The United States supports the Declaration, which—while not legally binding or a statement of current international law—has both moral and political force. It expresses both the aspirations of indigenous peoples around the world and those of States in seeking to improve their relations with indigenous peoples. Most importantly, it expresses aspirations of the United States, aspirations that this country seeks to achieve within the structure of the U.S. Constitution, laws, and international obligations, while also seeking, where appropriate, to improve our laws and policies.

U.S. support for the Declaration goes hand in hand with the U.S. commitment to address the consequences of a history in which, as President Obama recognized, ―few have been more marginalized and ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans—our First Americans.‖ That commitment is reflected in the many policies and programs that are being implemented by U.S. agencies in response to concerns raised by Native Americans, including poverty, unemployment, environmental degradation, health care gaps, violent crime, and discrimination.

II. The Review of the U.S. Position on the Declaration

The decision to review the U.S. position on the Declaration came in response to calls from many tribes, individual Native Americans, civil society, and others in the United States, who believed that U.S. support for the Declaration would make an important contribution to U.S. policy and practice with respect to Native American issues. The decision by the United States to support the Declaration was the result of a thorough review of the Declaration by the relevant federal agencies.

In conducting its review of the Declaration, U.S. agencies consulted extensively with tribal leaders during three rounds of consultations, one in Rapid City, South Dakota, and two in Washington, D.C. In addition, the agencies conducted outreach to indigenous organizations, civil society, and other interested individuals. Tribal leaders and others contributed to the review through their attendance at the consultation and outreach sessions, participation in those sessions by means of conference calls, and written submissions. In total, over 3,000 written comments were received and reviewed.

Tribes, groups, and individuals who participated in the review of the U.S. position on the Declaration presented a wide range of views on the meaning and importance of the Declaration. While they could not all be directly reflected in the U.S. position on the Declaration, they were all considered in the process.

III. The Declaration and U.S. Initiatives on Native American Issues

The United States is home to over two million Native Americans, 565 federally recognized Indian tribes, and other indigenous communities. U.S. support for the Declaration reflects the U.S. commitment to work with those tribes, individuals, and communities to address the many challenges they face. The United States aspires to improve relations with indigenous peoples by looking to the principles embodied in the Declaration in its dealings with federally recognized tribes, while also working, as appropriate, with all indigenous individuals and communities in the United States.

Moreover, the United States is committed to serving as a model in the international community in promoting and protecting the collective rights of indigenous peoples as well as the human rights of all individuals. The United States underlines its support for the Declaration’s recognition in the preamble that indigenous individuals are entitled without discrimination to all human rights recognized in international law, and that indigenous peoples possess certain additional, collective rights. The United States reads all of the provisions of the Declaration in light of this understanding of human rights and collective rights.

U.S. agencies are currently engaged in numerous initiatives to address the concerns raised by Native American leaders and issues addressed in the Declaration. Many involve the continuation of activities highlighted in the White House Tribal Nations Conference Progress Report released in June 2010. Additional efforts to strengthen the government-to-government relationship, protect lands and the environment and provide redress, address health care gaps, promote sustainable economic development, and protect Native American cultures are addressed below.

III. 1 Strengthening the Government-to-Government Relationship

As President Obama noted: ―Washington can’t – and shouldn’t – dictate a policy agenda for Indian Country. Tribal nations do better when they make their own decisions.‖ The record over the forty years since the United States adopted its policy of greater tribal autonomy is clear

– tribal self-determination has enabled tribal governments to establish, develop, and enhance tribal institutions and infrastructure ranging from those addressing the health, education, and welfare of their communities to those such as tribal courts, fire protection, and law enforcement. The clear lesson is that empowering tribes to deal with the challenges they face and that taking advantage of the available opportunities will result in tribal communities that thrive.

The United States is therefore pleased to support the Declaration’s call to promote the development of a new and distinct international concept of self-determination specific to indigenous peoples. The Declaration’s call is to promote the development of a concept of self-determination for indigenous peoples that is different from the existing right of self-determination in international law. The purpose of the Declaration was not to change or define the existing right of self-determination under international law. Further, as explained in Article 46, the Declaration does not imply any right to take any action that would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States. For the United States, the Declaration’s concept of self-determination is consistent with the United States’ existing recognition of, and relationship with, federally recognized tribes as political entities that have inherent sovereign powers of self-governance. This recognition is the basis for the special legal and political relationship, including the government-to-government relationship, established between the United States and federally recognized tribes, pursuant to which the United States supports, protects, and promotes tribal governmental authority over a broad range of internal and territorial affairs, including membership, culture, language, religion, education, information, social welfare, community and public safety, family relations, economic activities, lands and resource management, environment and entry by non-members, as well as ways and means for financing these autonomous governmental functions.

Federal agencies are engaged in a wide range of activities to enhance tribal self-determination in areas crucial to the well-being of tribal members.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), for example, is deeply committed to strengthening tribal police and judicial systems. Accordingly, the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request provides $321 million to DOJ for tribal public safety initiatives, an increase of 42% over FY 2010. This includes $255.6 million for grants to Indian tribes for tribal law enforcement efforts. The FY 2011 Budget Request also sustains FY 2010 appropriations increases of over 21% for Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded public safety and law enforcement efforts and includes an additional $19 million to support 81 new FBI positions (45 agents) to investigate violent crimes in Indian Country. These increases build on over $250 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (Recovery Act) funds made available to tribes in FY 2009 to address criminal justice needs.

In addition, on July 29, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA). This comprehensive bill is aimed at improving public safety on tribal lands. The statute gives tribes greater authority to prosecute crimes and increases federal accountability for public safety in tribal communities. In conformity with the TLOA, the Attorney General established the Office of Tribal Justice as a separate component within the organizational structure of the Department of Justice. The Office has played, and will continue to play, a key role in DOJ’s ongoing initiative to improve public safety in Indian Country, and it serves as the

primary channel for tribes to communicate their concerns to the Department, helps coordinate policy on Indian affairs both within DOJ and with other federal agencies, and seeks to ensure that DOJ and its components work with tribes on a government-to-government basis. The Departments of the Interior, Justice, and Health and Human Services are engaged in an unprecedented effort to consult with tribes to develop policy and implement this new law.

In response to tribal input, DOJ has also streamlined its grant-making process. The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) combines ten different grant programs into a single solicitation. In September 2010, hundreds of American Indian and Alaska Native communities received the first grants under CTAS – almost $127 million to enhance law enforcement, bolster justice systems, prevent youth substance abuse, serve sexual assault and elder abuse victims, and support other tribal efforts to combat crime.

During consultation sessions conducted by the Department of Education with over 350 tribal leaders in 2010, those leaders stressed the importance of greater tribal control over the education of Indian students. The Administration agrees. Therefore, the Department of Education has proposed changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to enhance the role of tribes in Indian education and allow greater flexibility in the use of federal education funds to meet the unique needs of Native American students.

Sixteen different tribes, from Maine to Alaska, participated this summer in the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs Water Training Program. The Training Program is taught by instructors from several Department of the Interior bureaus. The program strengthens tribal governments and prepares them to manage their own natural resources with qualified tribal government employees who have the necessary expertise to help alleviate the shortage of technical expertise on Indian reservations.

Other agency programs that enhance tribal self-determination are discussed in subsequent sections.

In addition to enhancing the self-determination of federally recognized tribes, the Obama Administration has supported the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, which provides a process for forming a Native Hawaiian governing entity that would be recognized by, and have a government-to-government relationship with, the United States. Congress has also enacted many more narrowly focused statutes for Native Hawaiians similar to those for other native people, such as the National Historic Preservation Act, which provides protections to properties with religious and cultural importance to Native American Indian tribes and Native Hawaiians; the Native Hawaiian Education Act, which establishes programs to facilitate the education of Native Hawaiians; the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act, which provides housing assistance in the form of grants and loans; and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which protects Native American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian gravesites.

U.S. Government efforts to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with tribes cannot be limited to enhancing tribal self-determination. It is also crucial that U.S. agencies have the necessary input from tribal leaders before those agencies themselves take

actions that have a significant impact on the tribes. It is for this reason that President Obama signed the Presidential Memorandum on the implementation of Executive Order 13175, ―Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments,‖ and directed all federal agencies to develop detailed plans of action to implement the Executive Order. In this regard, the United States recognizes the significance of the Declaration’s provisions on free, prior and informed consent, which the United States understands to call for a process of meaningful consultation with tribal leaders, but not necessarily the agreement of those leaders, before the actions addressed in those consultations are taken.

The United States intends to continue to consult and cooperate in good faith with federally recognized tribes and, as applicable, Native Hawaiians, on policies that directly and substantially affect them and to improve our cooperation and consultation processes, in accordance with federal law and President Obama’s call for better implementation of Executive Order 13175. The United States does so with the firm policy objective, where possible, of obtaining the agreement of those tribes consistent with our democratic system and laws. At the same time, the United States intends to improve our engagement with other indigenous individuals and groups. The United States will also continue to implement the many U.S. laws that require the agreement of federally recognized tribes or indigenous groups before certain actions can be taken or that require redress for takings of property.

U.S. Government efforts in this area are numerous. Federal agencies have submitted the consultation plans required by the Presidential Memorandum and are currently implementing them. A number of agencies have created new offices to ensure proper implementation of their consultation policies. Examples are the Office of Tribal Government Relations in the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will be established in 2011, and the Office of Tribal Relations in the Department of Agriculture. Other agencies, like the Department of Energy, found it appropriate to establish a Tribal Steering Committee to analyze the agencies’ consultation practices. Similarly, the Department of Health and Human Services established a Secretary-level Tribal Advisory Committee to create a coordinated, department-wide strategy to improve consultations with Indian tribes. In addition, some agencies have experimented with ―webinars‖ and other online technology to permit tribal leaders to participate in consultations without incurring the costs and time commitments of in-person sessions. These innovations show the seriousness with which federal agencies are taking consultations.

In addition, the Administration is continuing its multi-agency collaborations with tribal governments to develop comprehensive policy for Indian Country. Several agencies are working together on policy priorities and are coordinating on consultation sessions. For example, the Departments of the Interior and Education have been working closely to combine and coordinate their resources, and to maximize their efforts to impact Indian education. As part of the United States review of its position on the Declaration, fourteen federal agencies participated in tribal consultations, which included sessions held in Indian Country and at the State Department.

Federal agencies have put their consultation plans to work over the past year in a wide variety of contexts, and the valuable input received from tribal leaders is reflected throughout U.S. policies and programs in Indian Country.

III. 2 Protection of Native American Lands and the Environment, and Redress

The United States recognizes that some of the most grievous acts committed by the United States and many other States against indigenous peoples were with regard to their lands, territories, and natural resources. For this reason, the United States has taken many steps to ensure the protection of Native American lands and natural resources, and to provide redress where appropriate. It is also for this reason that the United States stresses the importance of the lands, territories, resources and redress provisions of the Declaration in calling on all States to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories, and natural resources. Consistent with its understanding of the intention of the States that negotiated and adopted the Declaration, the United States understands these provisions to call for the existence of national laws and mechanisms for the full legal recognition of the lands, territories, and natural resources indigenous peoples currently possess by reason of traditional ownership, occupation, or use as well as those that they have otherwise acquired. The Declaration further calls upon States to recognize, as appropriate, additional interests of indigenous peoples in traditional lands, territories, and natural resources. Consistent with that understanding, the United States intends to continue to work so that the laws and mechanisms it has put in place to recognize existing, and accommodate the acquisition of additional, land, territory, and natural resource rights under U.S. law function properly and to facilitate, as appropriate, access by indigenous peoples to the traditional lands, territories and natural resources in which they have an interest.

U.S. agency initiatives in this area are numerous.

Perhaps most significantly, the Obama Administration has acquired over 34,000 acres of land in trust on behalf of Indian tribes, which is a 225 percent increase since 2006. Lands held in trust for tribes are used for housing, economic development, government services, cultural and natural resource protection, and other critical purposes. Recovering and protecting the tribes’ land base is a hallmark objective of this Administration. After the recent Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, Congress introduced, and the Administration has fully supported, legislation to reaffirm the authority of the United States to take land into trust on behalf of all federally recognized Indian tribes.

In addition, the United States intervened in a federal suit, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and United States v. Granholm, and worked to facilitate a settlement that recognizes the tribe’s entire reservation to be Indian Country, resolving over a century of disputes over the boundaries and existence of the reservation. The court approved that settlement on November 23, 2010. This settlement, which involves the tribe, the United States, the State of Michigan, and local governments, will promote greater intergovernmental cooperation and provide the clarity necessary for effective law enforcement and civil regulation on the reservation. The United States has also sought to protect tribal lands, and tribal jurisdiction over those lands, in several other court cases, including the City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation, Cayuga Nation v. Gould, and Water Wheel v. LaRance.

Other agency initiatives include the release by the Forest Service of $37.3 million in Recovery Act funds directly to tribes for wild land fire management and the improvement of

habitat and watersheds. Of the total Forest Service funding received under the Recovery Act, $213 million was provided to benefit tribes and tribal lands.

The Obama Administration has also made extensive efforts to resolve longstanding Native American legal claims against the United States and private entities related to lands, natural resources, and other issues.

In 2009, the United States reached an agreement for over $1.79 billion to address contamination at over 80 sites in 19 states pursuant to resolution of the American Smelting and Refining Company, LLC (ASARCO) bankruptcy. The settlement includes approximately $194 million for the recovery of wildlife, habitat, and other natural resources managed by the federal, state, and tribal governments at more than a dozen sites. The settlement is part of the largest environmental damage bankruptcy case in U.S. history, and resolves ASARCO’s environmental liabilities from mining and smelting operations that contaminated land, water, and wildlife resources on federal, state, tribal, and private land.

In late October 2010, the Administration reached a $760 million settlement with Native American farmers and ranchers, in Keepseagle v. Vilsack, a case alleging discrimination by the Department of Agriculture in loan programs. Under the agreement, the Department of Agriculture will pay $680 million in damages and forgive $80 million of outstanding farm loan debt. The federal government also agreed to create a 15-member Native American Farmer and Rancher Council to advise the Department, appoint a Department ombudsman, provide more technical assistance to Native American borrowers, and conduct a systematic review of farm loan program rules.

On December 9, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Claims Resolution Act, which includes the Cobell v. Salazar settlement agreement. In 1996, Elouise Cobell charged the Department of the Interior with failing to account for billions of dollars that it was supposed to collect on behalf of more than 300,000 individual Native Americans. After fourteen years of litigation, enactment of the Claims Resolution Act finally closes an unfortunate chapter in our history. The Act creates a fund of $1.5 billion dollars to address historic accounting and trust management issues, and it also allocates up to $1.9 billion dollars to convert some of the most highly fractionated individual Indian lands into land that can be managed for the broader benefit of the respective tribe. As part of the $1.9 billion, a trust fund of up to $60 million dollars is being created for a scholarship fund for Native Americans.

In addition, this law includes an unprecedented package of four water settlements benefitting seven tribes in Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico. This law finally gives the Crow, White Mountain Apache Tribe, and the Pueblos of Taos, Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso permanent access to secure water supplies year round.

As noted by Secretary of the Interior Salazar, ―Congress’ approval of the Cobell settlement and the four Indian water rights settlements is nothing short of historic for Indian nations.‖ He explained that the settlements ―represent a major step forward in President Obama’s agenda to empower tribal governments, fulfill our trust responsibilities to tribal members and help tribal leaders build safer, stronger, healthier and more prosperous

communities.‖ They demonstrate not only that the United States has a well-developed court system that provides a means of redress for many wrongs suffered by U.S. citizens, residents and others – including federally recognized tribes and indigenous individuals and groups -- but also that redress is available from the U.S. Congress under appropriate circumstances. The United States will interpret the redress provisions of the Declaration to be consistent with the existing system for legal redress in the United States, while working to ensure that appropriate redress is in fact provided under U.S. law.

The Administration is likewise committed to protecting the environment, and recognizes that many indigenous peoples depend upon a healthy environment for subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering. The Administration therefore acknowledges the importance of the provisions of the Declaration that address environmental issues. While there is far more that needs to be done, the United States is taking many steps to address environmental challenges in Indian Country and beyond.

In July 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 13547, Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes, drafted with substantial input from tribes, which established a Governance Coordination Committee with three tribal representatives, as well as tribal engagement in developing priority action areas. Of special interest are the priority areas of the Arctic and developing coastal and marine spatial plans.

In 2010, the Department of the Interior (DOI) provided grants worth more than $7 million through the Tribal Wildlife Grants Program for 42 Native American tribes to fund a wide range of conservation projects in sixteen states. The Tribal Wildlife Grants program has provided more than $50 million in the past eight years for 400 conservation projects administered by 162 federally-recognized tribes. The grants provide technical and financial assistance for the development and implementation of projects that benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitat, including non-game species.

DOI has also engaged in numerous cooperative resource protection efforts with tribes, including a water quality and biologic condition assessments agreement with the Sac and Fox on the Iowa River, restoration of the Klamath River though possible dam removal and in partnership with the Klamath River Basin tribes, and assistance to the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to assess the impact of land use and climate change on wetlands.

Over the past year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded targeted grants to tribes for specific preventative tasks to address environmental degradation, including $150,000 to the Eight Northern Indian Pueblo Council to establish a Brownfields Tribal Response Program that will promote environmental health for several Pueblos and tribes in New Mexico and West Texas. Two additional grants were made for projects run by tribes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a part of President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a $475 million program that represents the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. The grants are to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to develop a sustainable hazardous waste collection program to serve tribal and non-tribal community members, and help prevent toxic contaminants from entering Lake Superior, and to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa

to improve habitat and water quality in the Bear River Watershed, which directly affects waters flowing into Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan.

The Department of Agriculture also invested $84.8 million dollars in water and environmental projects benefitting tribal communities in the lower 48 U.S. states during FY 2010 and an additional $66.2 million dollars for similar projects benefitting tribal communities in Alaska through the Rural Alaska Village Grants program. A further $120.8 million was invested in essential community facilities benefitting tribal communities.

The Department of Energy (DOE) provides grants to many Indian communities to allow them to develop renewable energy resources and energy efficiency measures in their communities in ways that benefit not only those communities, but the whole planet, while serving as models for other U.S. communities. With DOE assistance, tribes are developing a wide-range of renewable energy resources and conservation measures, including geothermal, solar energy, wind and biomass technologies and comprehensive recycling programs. These programs reduce the carbon footprint of tribal communities, while creating jobs and reducing costs.

DOE has also worked closely with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to clean up contamination from Cold War storage of hazardous waste at the Idaho National Laboratory, the tribes’ ancestral home. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have the technical capabilities and qualifications, funded by a DOE-Idaho Cooperative Agreement, to assist the Department and the regulators in reviewing the effectiveness of the cleanup work and assuring that the environment, and particularly the Snake River Plain Aquifer, are not contaminated or threatened.

The Fisheries and the Northwest Protected Resources Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also consults formally and informally with the Northwest treaty tribes when considering the designation of critical habitat for endangered species, including salmon, to ensure the agency is informed of relevant tribal science and any potential impacts to the tribe that may arise from a designation of tribal lands as critical habitat. Documented information from these consultations with NOAA has ensured the protection of listed species and minimized any impact to tribal trust resources. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries and NOAA General Counsel for the Northwest consult with four tribes with ocean treaty fishing rights for groundfish in conjunction with the Pacific Fishery Management Council process. An example of the success of this practice is that, in 2010, NOAA Fisheries adopted a tribal whiting allocation that was agreed to by all affected tribes and the State of Washington.

III. 3 Addressing Health Care Gaps

The Obama Administration understands the priority tribal leaders place on improving the delivery of health care services in their communities, as well as the significance of related provisions in the Declaration. The Administration has responded, as evidenced by the 13% increase in funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS) in FY 2010 and the 9% additional increase for IHS proposed in the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request. These increases are on top of $500 million provided to the IHS under the Recovery Act.

After President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in March, making permanent the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, IHS initiated consultations with tribal leaders to implement the Act and determine their priorities. Tribes identified long-term care, behavior health, and diabetes/dialysis as their primary concerns. IHS held a meeting on Long Term Care in Indian Country on November 1-2, 2010 to begin the conversation about implementation priorities with tribes. IHS is also continuing the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, a Congressionally-approved grant program now in its thirteenth year, which has resulted in increased control of diabetes in indigenous communities and decreasing rates of end stage renal disease. Related demonstration projects have also shown significant promise.

Tribes also stressed the need to improve the collaboration and coordination of services for veterans eligible for both the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and IHS services. The IHS Director met with VA Secretary Shinseki in May 2010, and they agreed to update the 2003 VA-IHS MOU governing their agencies’ cooperation. The updated MOU was signed in October 2010 and a letter to tribal leaders initiating a consultation on the implementation of the MOU was released in November 2010.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Interior are working together to combat the problem of suicide in Indian Country. The two Departments launched a series of listening sessions between November 2010 and February 2011 to obtain the input of tribal leaders on how the agencies can effectively work within their communities to prevent suicide. The information gathered will inform a major Suicide Prevention Summit to be held in Spring 2011.

III. 4 Promoting Sustainable Economic Development

The Obama Administration has also taken numerous steps, consistent with the Declaration, to promote the economic wellbeing of indigenous peoples in the United States.

A priority for the Administration has been to combat unemployment in Indian Country as evidenced by the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request, which includes $55 million, representing a 4% increase over FY 2010 funding, for the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s Indian and Native American Program, which grants funding to tribes and Native American non-profits to provide employment and training services to unemployed and low-income Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Additionally, the Recovery Act allocated over $17 million for the Native American Supplemental Youth Service Program to support summer employment and training opportunities for disconnected youths.

In addition, this summer, the Department of Labor awarded approximately $53 million to 178 grantees to provide quality employment and training services specifically for Native American adults who are unemployed, underemployed and low-income individuals. It awarded an additional $13.8 million in grants to 78 tribes, tribal consortiums, and tribal non-profit organizations to offer summer employment and training activities for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian youth between the ages of 14 and 21, residing on or near Indian

reservations or Alaska Native villages. The youth program targets high school dropouts and youth in need of basic skills training and provides an array of employment and training services, including job placement assistance, work experience, and occupational skills training. In addition, the Recovery Act included $17.8 million in grant funding for Native American youth activities, including summer employment and training opportunities.

The Department of Labor has also been working to address the needs of Native Americans with disabilities. It has collaborated with tribal colleges and universities through the Workforce Recruitment Program to provide internship opportunities for students with federal employers. The Department, tribal colleges and universities, and the National Indian Health Board have worked together to develop a training curriculum for tribal members with disabilities that will provide the opportunity for them to become Community Health Aides. In addition, Add Us In, a new initiative sponsored by the Department, is designed to identify and develop strategies to increase employment opportunities within the small business community for individuals with disabilities. This initiative includes targeted Native American owned and operated small businesses.

In addition, the Treasury Department has a program to strengthen the economic health of Native American communities generally. The Native American Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Assistance Program, or NACA Program, now includes 57 certified Native CDFIs. CDFIs are non-government financial entities whose primary mission is to promote community development, principally by serving and being accountable to a low-income community, and by providing development services. Native participation in NACA increased significantly in 2009 and 2010, and on April 30, 2010, the CDFI Fund announced awards totaling $10.3 million to be used for small business/venture capital, affordable housing, and consumer loans.

Tribal leaders regularly identify the lack of adequate housing as a major impediment to economic development in their communities. To assist with addressing housing needs, the Recovery Act allocated $510 million to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Native American Housing Block Grant program for new housing construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, and infrastructure development. By December 1, 2010, tribal recipients had already expended almost two-thirds of those funds for new construction, rehabilitations, energy-efficient improvements, and infrastructure development in Indian Country.

In addition, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a number of other housing initiatives.

On October 12, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Indian Veterans Housing Opportunity Act. The Act amends the definition of ―income‖ for HUD’s Indian Housing Block Grant program so that the determination of a family’s income excludes amounts received from the Department of Veterans Affairs for a service-related disability, dependency, or indemnity compensation. The new law will benefit disabled Native American veterans and their families who might otherwise be ineligible for low-income housing assistance under HUD’s program.

In 2011 and 2012, HUD will conduct a comprehensive, national Native American Housing Needs Assessment Study. Before field research begins, the Office of Native American Programs is sponsoring a series of seven regional outreach meetings with tribal housing stakeholders, including tribal leaders; federal agencies; and private sector, non-profit, and state entities to discuss the upcoming study and to lay the groundwork for maximum participation. These outreach meetings will provide a forum for discussing the community and economic impact housing has on tribal communities as well as identifying the needs for creating sustainable reservation communities and economies. These meetings will continue the ongoing dialogue between HUD and tribal leaders in Indian Country.

The Administration is also committed to supporting Native Americans’ success in K-12 and higher education. The Recovery Act invested $170.5 million in Indian education at the Department of Education and $277 million in Indian school construction at the Department of the Interior. The President’s FY 2011 Budget Request provides $31.7 million in funding for Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities in the Department of Education, a 5% increase over FY 2010. The Budget Request includes $127 million for postsecondary education for Native Americans under the Department of the Interior.

The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act increases the maximum Pell Grant award by the Consumer Price Index, which is estimated to raise the award from $5,550 to $5,975, according to the Congressional Budget Office. In addition, the law provides $300 million for Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, $50 million for Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and $150 million for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions over the next ten years. These investments will be made in order to renew, reform, and expand programming so that students at these institutions are given every chance to reach their full potentials. These efforts respond to the concerns of Native American leaders as well as priorities identified in the Declaration.

In addition, President Obama appointed members to the Department of Education’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education (Council), as authorized by the ESEA, who met for the first time on November 3, 2010. The current Council consists of fourteen members who are Native Americans. The Council is required to advise the Secretary of Education concerning the funding and administration of Department programs that include or may benefit American Indians and Alaska Natives, make recommendations to the Secretary of Education for filling the position of Director of Indian Education, and submit a report to Congress on any recommendations that the Council considers appropriate for the improvement of federal education programs that include or may benefit Native Americans.

The Department of Education is also working to combat discrimination against Native Americans in education. In March 2011, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights will provide technical assistance on civil rights issues that affect Native American communities in California, with particular focus on national origin and race discrimination, harassment, and bullying, to an audience of parents, activists, tribal leaders, teachers, and school leaders. Together with the Department of Health and Human Services, it will also provide in Fall 2011 technical assistance to parents and students, as well as social outreach service providers for the Native American

communities, on civil rights issues that affect Native American communities in Minnesota and North Dakota.

The Administration is also working with tribal leaders to bring their communities into the 21st Century by equipping them with high speed access to the Internet. Both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce have programs to do so.

The Department of Agriculture recently awarded $32 million to bring high speed, affordable broadband to the Navajo Nation. The Department of Agriculture also received Recovery Act funds to expand broadband access. It provided grants and loans totaling over $158 million to expand broadband access in tribal communities through the Broadband Initiatives Program. This included ten infrastructure investments directly to tribes and tribally-owned businesses and eleven technical assistance awards to tribes to assist with regional broadband plans to promote economic development.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the Department of Commerce awarded almost 30 percent of the $4.7 billion that the Department received from the Recovery Act to Indian tribes and recipients that indicated that their projects will benefit tribal areas. This funding will be used to increase access to broadband services in underserved areas of the country.

Similarly, the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office made $216.3 million in Recovery Act investments benefiting American Indian and Alaska Native populations, including $36.3 million for community water and wastewater infrastructure, $97.5 million for community facilities, and $81.1 million for single family housing (691 home loans). In addition, the Recovery Act allocated $310 million to the Department of Transportation for the Indian Reservation Roads Program and over $142 million to the Department of the Interior for roads maintenance.

III. 5 Protecting Native American Cultures

As President Obama has recognized, the indigenous peoples of North America have ―invaluable cultural knowledge and rich traditions, which continue to thrive in Native American communities across our country.‖ The many facets of Native American cultures – including their religions, languages, traditions and arts – need to be protected, as reflected in multiple provisions of the Declaration.

Because of the breadth and depth of Native American cultures, they affect and are affected by the activities of many U.S. agencies. Some of those agencies’ efforts are noted in this section.

In July, President Obama signed into law the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act to strengthen the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell, offer, or display for sale any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian-produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian tribe. The new act empowers all federal law enforcement

officers to enforce this prohibition and differentiates among penalties based on the price of the goods involved in the offense. The total market for American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts in the United States is estimated at a billion dollars, with an unknown but substantial amount of those sales going to misrepresented, non-authentic works.

The Secretary of Agriculture, in a letter of July 2, 2010, directed the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Tribal Relations and the Forest Service to begin a process of review of all Forest Service policies and to consult with interested tribes about how the Department and the Forest Service can do a better job addressing sacred site issues while simultaneously balancing pursuit of the agency’s mission to deliver forest goods and services for current and future generations. He emphasized the need to examine the effectiveness of existing laws and regulations in ensuring a consistent level of sacred site protection that is more acceptable to the tribes.

On July 30, 2010, the United Nations inscribed the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as the first mixed (natural and cultural) World Heritage Site in the United States. The Department of the Interior played a leading role in coordinating the development of the nomination dossier and successful inscription by the World Heritage Committee. Papahānaumokuākea’s inscription as a World Heritage Site is important to Native Hawaiians because it recognizes and incorporates the richness of the habitat and wildlife with the living, indigenous, cultural connections to the sea – where modern Hawaiian wayfinders (non-instrument navigators) still voyage for navigational training on traditional double-hulled sailing canoes; an aspect of inscription unique to Papahānaumokuākea. Additionally, World Heritage status places this traditional skill, which was used to navigate across the world’s largest ocean – one of the greatest feats of human kind – onto the world stage.

Since April 2010 the Department of Education has held six regional consultations with tribal officials regarding reauthorization of the ESEA. Among the statements heard time and time again were those on the importance of preserving Native languages. In response, the Administration has proposed changes to the ESEA that support, among other things, flexibility in the use of federal education funds to allow funding for Native language immersion and Native language restoration programs.

Due to joint efforts of federal agencies and tribes, 152 notices of decisions to repatriate human remains and cultural items were published in the Federal Register in 2010. Each of these notices is a direct consequence of museums and federal agencies consulting with tribes concerning the repatriation of human remains and cultural items previously held in collections. These notices account for 1,628 human remains and 9,062 associated funerary objects, an additional 2,052 funerary objects not associated with an individual, 11 sacred objects, 10 objects of cultural patrimony, and an additional 388 items that are both sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony. In addition, the Forest Service is exercising its authority to assist tribes over the next several years in reburial of over 3,000 sets of human remains and their associated cultural items that had been removed from National Forests.

The Department of the Interior, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, has also begun efforts with tribes to facilitate eagle feather possession for cultural and traditional uses and to

promote coordination in wildlife investigations and enforcement efforts to protect golden and bald eagles.

Moreover, the Department of the Interior awarded over $8 million to support historic preservation programs and projects for Indian tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian organizations. $7,250,000 was awarded to 100 Tribal Historic Preservation Officer programs, and $899,316 to 26 communities for a broad range of cultural heritage projects.

IV. Conclusion

The United States has made great strides in improving its relationship with Native Americans and indigenous peoples around the world. However, much remains to be done. U.S. agencies look forward to continuing to work with tribal leaders, and all interested stakeholders, so that the United States can be a better model for the international community in protecting and promoting the rights of indigenous peoples.

Un Press Release: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 2014

2010-11-17T12:35:00.001-05:00

General Assembly Will Hold ‘World Conference on Indigenous Peoples’ in 2014,
Under Terms of Resolution Recommended by Third Committee [A/C.3/65/L.22/Rev.1]

Also Approves Five Other Texts on Extrajudicial Executions, Leprosy, United Nations Refugee High Commissioner, Practices Fueling Racism, Globalization

Concerned about the extreme social and economic disadvantages that indigenous peoples have faced, the Third Committee approved a draft resolution today that would have the General Assembly organize a high-level plenary meeting in 2014 — to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014 -- to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of indigenous peoples’ rights.

Approved without a vote, the document would invite the President of the General Assembly to determine the modalities for the high-level meeting, including indigenous peoples’ participation at the Conference, through open-ended consultations with Member States, indigenous people’s representatives in the framework of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.

The Assembly would also expand the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations, so that it could assist representatives of indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities to participate in sessions of the Human Rights Council and human rights treaty bodies.

UN Third Committee agenda documents for 65 Session

2010-11-17T12:21:00.000-05:00

There are a number of documents submitted to the Third Committee to accompany the 65th Session Agenda of interest to the issues of indigenous peoples. The full list is at this URL: http://www.un.org/en/ga/third/65/documentslist.shtml. Some selected ones are listed below:

♦ ITEM 65: Indigenous issues:

(a) Indigenous issues

* A/65/163 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Note by the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations

* A/65/264 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people

(b) Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People

* A/65/166 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people
♦ ITEM 66: Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance:

(a) Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

* A/65/292 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination

* A/65/312 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Secretary-General on the financial situation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

* A/64/18 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on its seventy-fourth and seventy-fifth sessions

* A/65/18(Supp) [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on its seventy-sixth and seventy-seven sessions

* A/65/323 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

(b) Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

* A/65/377 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Secretary-General on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

* A/65/295 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

♦ ITEM 67: Right of peoples to self-determination

* A/65/286 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Report of the Secretary-General on the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination

* A/65/325 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination

Canada Endorses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2010-11-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

Canada Endorses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Ref. #2-3429

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, November 12, 2010 – The Government of Canada today formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a manner fully consistent with Canada's Constitution and laws. Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. John McNee, met with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Joseph Deiss, to advise him of Canada's official endorsement of the United Nations Declaration.

"We understand and respect the importance of this United Nations Declaration to Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide," said the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians. "Canada has endorsed the Declaration to further reconcile and strengthen our relationship with Aboriginal peoples in Canada."

"Canada is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples," said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Canada's active involvement abroad, coupled with its productive partnership with Aboriginal Canadians, is having a real impact in advancing indigenous rights at home and abroad."

Continues at http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/nr/s-d2010/23429-eng.asp

National American Indian Heritage Month

2010-11-11T11:38:00.001-05:00

National American Indian Heritage Month

Overview

National American Indian Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States.

“National American Indian Heritage Month” had its origins in 1986 when Congress passed Pub. L. 99-471 (PDF, 93 KB) which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week of November 23-30, 1986 as “American Indian Week.” As directed by Congress, President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 in November 1986 proclaiming the first American Indian Week. Both law and proclamation recognized the American Indians as the first inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States as well as making mention of their contributions to American society:

Many of the foods we eat and the medicines and remedies we use were introduced by Indians and more than one highway follows an Indian trail. Indians make contributions in every area of endeavor and American life, and our literature and all our arts draw upon Indian themes and wisdom. Countless American Indians have served in our Armed Forces and have fought valiantly for our country.

Continued at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/american-indian.php

PLoS: Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? Three Viewpoints

2010-11-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

In 2008, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Paul Hunt, made a report to the UN General Assembly (11 August 2008) The Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health: Report of the Special Rapporteur, Paul Hunt. U.N. General Assembly, 63rd Session, Agenda Item 67(b). U.N. Doc. A/63/263. See, http://www.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/research/rth/index.aspx

In September 2010, PLoS Medicine published the following Debate on drug companies and their human rights obligations.

Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? Three Viewpoints

In September 2010, the PLoS Medicine Debate asks whether drug companies are living up to their human rights responsibilities. Sofia Gruskin and Zyde Raad from the Harvard School of Public Health say more assessment is needed of such responsibilities; Geralyn Ritter, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility at Merck & Co. argues that multiple stakeholders could do more to help States deliver the right to health; and Paul Hunt and Rajat Khosla introduce Mr. Hunt's work as the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health (2002-2008), regarding the human rights responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies and access to medicines.

In their accompanying editorial, the PLoS Medicine Editors argue that drug companies should be held much more accountable for their human rights responsibilities.

Editorial

Drug Companies Should Be Held More Accountable for Their Human Rights Responsibilities

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 28 Sep 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000344

The PLoS Medicine Debates

Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? Moving Toward Assessment

Sofia Gruskin, Zyde Raad

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 28 Sep 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000310
Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? The Merck Perspective

Geralyn S. Ritter

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 28 Sep 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000343
Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? The Perspective of the Former United Nations Special Rapporteur (2002-2008)

Paul Hunt, Rajat Khosla

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 28 Sep 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000330

Bridging the Divide between Genomic Science and Indigenous Peoples

2010-10-03T23:44:00.000-04:00

Bridging the Divide between Genomic Science and Indigenous Peoples

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2010.00521.x/abstract

The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Volume 38, Issue 3, pages 684–696, Fall 2010.

Bette Jacobs, Jason Roffenbender, Jeff Collmann, Kate Cherry, LeManuel Lee Bitsói, Kim Bassett, and Charles H. Evans, Jr.

The new science of genomics endeavors to chart the genomes of individuals around the world, with the dual goals of understanding the role genetic factors play in human health and solving problems of disease and disability. From the perspective of indigenous peoples and developing countries, the promises and perils of genomic science appear against a backdrop of global health disparity and political vulnerability. These conditions pose a dilemma for many communities when attempting to decide about participating in genomic research or any other biomedical research. Genomic research offers the possibility of improved technologies for managing the acute and chronic diseases that plague their members. Yet, the history of particularly biomedical research among people in indigenous and developing nations offers salient examples of unethical practice, misuse of data, and failed promises. This dilemma creates risks for communities who decide either to participate or not to participate in genomic science research. Some argue that the history of poor scientific practice justifies refusal to join genomic research projects. Others argue that disease poses such great threats to the well-being of people in indigenous communities and developing nations that not participating in genomic research risks irrevocable harm. Thus, some communities particularly among indigenous peoples have declined to participate as subjects in genomic research. At the same time, some communities have begun developing new guidelines, procedures, and practices for engaging with the scientific community that offer opportunities to bridge the gap between genomic science and indigenous and/or developing communities. Four new approaches warrant special attention and further support: consulting with local communities; negotiating the complexities of consent; training members of local communities in science and health care; and training scientists to work with indigenous communities. Implicit is a new definition of “rigorous scientific research,” one that includes both community development and scientific progress as legitimate objectives of genomic research. Innovative translational research is needed to develop practical, mutually acceptable methods for crossing the divide between genomic researchers and indigenous communities. This may mean the difference between success and failure in genomic science, and in improving health for all peoples.

Convention on Biological DIversity: DRAFT PROTOCOL: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ OBJECTIONS TO THE CURRENT TEXT

2010-09-27T15:16:00.000-04:00

The Convention on Biological Diversity Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing, has issued the following publication:UNEP/CBD/WG-ABS/9/INF/22, Draft Protocol: Indigenous Peoples' Objections to the Current Text -- A Call for Justice and Solidarity at the request of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)

See the following links for information on the Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing:
http://www.cbd.int/abs/

http://www.unutki.org/default.php?doc_id=50

Comment on the International Bar Association's Model Mining Development Agreement

2010-09-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

From Investment Treaty news:

In October 2009, at its annual meeting in Madrid, the Mining Law Committee of the International Bar Association launched a project to develop a Model Mining Development Agreement (MMDA). The MMDA was conceived to provide a different starting point for the negotiation of mining contracts between host governments and mining companies, one based expressly on promoting sustainable social, economic and environmental development through more equitable and transparent mining agreements.

Continued at http://www.investmenttreatynews.org/cms/news/archive/2010/09/23/the-iba-s-model-mining-development-agreement-a-new-paradigm-for-natural-resource-projects.aspx

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, 9 August 2010

2010-08-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is the sponsor for the 2010 International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The theme for this year is Indigenous Filmmaking. The program will take place from 2:00 to 5:30 P.M. in New York.

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

July 8, 2010

The International Day of the World's Indigenous People will be observed at the United Nations Headquarters in Conference Room 1 in the temporary North Lawn 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 filmmaking.
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The International Day of the World's Indigenous People will be observed at the United Nations Headquarters in Conference Room 1 in the temporary North Lawn 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 Thursday 6 August, by sending an email with full name at: indigenous_un@un.org.

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 program for the day’s observance is not yet complete. It will include messages from the United Nations Secretary General, the Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and the Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as well as a screening of films made by indigenous filmmakers and a Q&A session with an indigenous film maker.

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Third Session 12-16 July 2010

2010-07-14T11:24:00.001-04:00

The Third Session is now under way in Geneva:http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/ExpertMechanism/3rd/index.htm

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a new United Nations mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples. This mechanism has been created by the Human Rights Council following an informal meeting on the most appropriate mechanisms to continue the work of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

The Expert Mechanism is a subsidiary expert mechanism of the Human Rights Council with a specific mandate. Composed of five experts, the Expert Mechanism will provide thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples to the Human Rights Council, the main human rights body of the United Nations. This expertise will be provided in the manner and form requested by the Council:

* The thematic expertise will focus mainly on studies and research-based advice;
* he mechanism may suggest proposals to the Council for its considerations and approval, within the scope of its work as set out by the Council.

The Expert Mechanism held its first session from 1 to 3 October 2008 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. The second session has taken place from 10 to 14 August 2009 and the third session will take place from 12 to 16 July 2010, at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Registration for the Expert Mechanism is now open and the deadline is 25 June 2010. For further information please see the accreditation page.

Finally, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has been requested to provide human, technical and financial assistance to the Expert Mechanism for the effective fulfilment of its mandate. The Office can be contacted for further information.

US Review of UNDRIP through 15 July 2010

2010-07-06T07:59:00.004-04:00

The U.S. is undertaking an official review of the U.N Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. You can comment at the address below:

The U.S. Government looks forward to hearing from all interested parties as it undertakes its review of the Declaration. The U.S. Department of State, together with other Federal agencies, will be holding consultations with federally recognized Indian tribes and meetings with interested nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders on the review of the Declaration. Exact dates and locations will be announced on this website. Anyone unable to participate in these consultations or meetings in person can send comments by email to declaration@state.gov or by mail to
S/SR Global Intergovernmental Affairs,
U.S. Department of State,
2201 C Street NW.,
Suite 1317,
Washington, DC 20520
Please send written comments by July 15, 2010 to ensure that they can be given due consideration in the review.

For discussion see, The UNDRIP. It’s time, Uncle Sam..

Minority Rights Group, State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, 2009 report

2010-05-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009

Minority Rights Group’s flagship annual report, produced this year in
conjunction with UNICEF, is on the theme of education. State of the
World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples is an invaluable reference for
policy makers, academics, journalists and everyone who is interested in
the conditions facing minorities and indigenous peoples around the
world.

Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/990/state-of-the-worlds-minorities/state-of-the-
worlds-minorities.html

UN OHCHR Forum on Minority Issues

2010-05-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

The Forum on Minority Issues was established

"[p]ursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/15 of 28 September 2007, a forum on minority issues has been established to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the independent expert on minority issues. The Forum shall identify and analyze best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities."

Links to it's reports are on the page linked above.

UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues

2010-05-13T22:12:00.001-04:00

The reports of the UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues, Ms. Gay J. McDougall, can be found at this url:http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/minorities/expert/index.htm

OHCHR: Fellowship programme for persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities*

2010-05-13T21:56:00.000-04:00

Fellowship programme for persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities*

The Minorities Fellowship Programme (MFP) was launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2005.

Through this Programme, the OHCHR aims to give persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities - particularly young minority women and men - an opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular. The Fellowship Programme is intended to assist organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities the fellows belong to.

The MFP is held annually and currently has two linguistic versions: The English programme and the Arabic programme. The English programme has been running since 2005 and lasts on average 3 months. The Arabic programme started in 2007 and has been gradually expanding from 2 to 4 weeks.

The Fellows are based at the OHCHR in Geneva, Switzerland. The programme is interactive and consists of briefings on several topics (e.g. the UN system, OHCHR's work, human rights mechanisms and instruments) as well as individual and group assignments.

At the end of the Programme, all Fellow should have a general knowledge of the United Nations system, international human rights instruments and mechanisms in general and those relevant to minorities in particular and be capable of further training their communities/organizations.
Fellows are entitled to the following: a return ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva; basic health insurance for the duration of the Programme; and a grant to cover modest accommodation in Geneva for the duration of the Programme and other living expenses.

HREA Distance Learning Programme

2010-05-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

The Human Rights Education Associates offer distance learning courses:

http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=274

2010-05-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law presents:

Human Rights Month

RSVP: www.wcl.american.edu/secle/cle_form.cfm

All panels will take place at:

American University, Washington College of Law, Rm. 603, 12:30 -2pm

Each year, the Academy sponsors a month of events dedicated to human rights theory. It is an opportunity to share experiences and network with fellow practitioners and internationally known scholars and activists. We hope that you can join us for some—or all—of these events. For more information, please visit us at: www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy

Panels

June 3: International Law and Transitional Processes: Contemporary Challenges
June 7: Assessing the Impact of International Law and Institutions in the Protection of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Challenges Ahead
June 9: The International Human Rights Status of Elderly Rights: Current Trends
June 11: International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law: the Scope of their Relationship in Theory and Practice

V Annual Meeting on Human Rights

June 14: A Regional Comparison of Human Rights Systems: Africa, America, Asia and Europe
June 15: Recent Developments in the Inter-American Human Rights System: a Debate on the New Procedural Rules of the Commission and Court and their Future Application

The first ‘user conference’ for UN information.

2010-05-09T09:48:00.000-04:00

Information about it can be found at: http://www.un-connected.org/

The first ‘user conference’ for UN information.

The vision for ‘UN-connecting the World’ is to hold a ‘user conference’ for providers and consumers of ‘UN information’ – much like the yearly user conferences of any notable IT company. User conferences provide a space where users and providers of information services can liaise, bringing critically needed user feedback into the information system to identify user needs and to develop creative ways to satisfy those needs. Per our definition, providers of UN information are any source within or outside the UN system disseminating the vast amount of newsworthy information pertaining to the wide array of UN thematic areas. Examples of providers range from any UN website or database - e.g. UNBIS, ReliefWeb, Universal Human Rights Index - to websites outside the UN system working to provide UN information to their stakeholders - e.g. Huridocs, UPR-info.org, whatconvention.org. Users of UN information, likewise, come from both within and outside the UN system and can be defined as anyone who uses or could find UN information beneficial to their activities. Examples include members of domestic or international NGOs, desk officers at national ministries and missions, journalists, corporate responsibility divisions of private sector companies, or students and professors.

The idea for the conference derived from two years of research on the part of [Making Communications Matter]MCM, which identified currently existing hurdles to effective information communication and knowledge exchange between providers and users of UN information. Through interviews with users (and potential users) of UN information, MCM has developed creative ways to lower these hurdles. In addition to two new information sources – UN-i.org and UN-informed.org –, which will be presented at the conference, MCM wanted to also provide a collaborative space where feedback could be more broadly and directly shared with information providers in the UN System and where providers could liaise with each other (in some cases for the first time) to identify potential partners or synergies.

EU report on Minority Discrimination

2009-12-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

The EU has issued a report on minority discrimination. The report has been referred to by the German magazine, Der Spiegel at http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,666317,00.html#ref=nlint. The actual report in PDF format can be found here: European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey. According to the Der Spiegel account, the most discriminated groups are the Roma in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Greece, Subsaharan Africans in Ireland, and North Africans in Italy. Muslims are another group subject to discrimination as well as Brazilians living in Portugal.

Recent Articles

2009-12-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

Indigenizing Intellectual Property Law: Customary Law, Legal Pluralism, and the Protection of Indigenous Peoples' Rights, Identity, and Resources Danielle M. Conway Texas Wesleyan Law Review, Volume 15, Number 2, Spring 2009, p.207

Protecting the Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions of Russia's "Numerically-Small" Indigenous Peoples: What Has Been Done, What Remains to Be Done Michael Newcity Texas Wesleyan Law Review, Volume 15, Number 2, Spring 2009, p.357

The Cultural and Intellectual Property Interests of the Indigenous Peoples of Turkey and Iraq Hannibal Travis Texas Wesleyan Law Review, Volume 15, Number 2, Spring 2009, p.415

UN Human Rights Day 2009

2009-12-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

Human Rights Day 2009 on 10 December will focus on non-discrimination. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. These first few famous words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established 60 years ago the basic premise of international human rights law. Yet today, the fight against discrimination remains a daily struggle for millions around the globe.

“Our main objective is to help promote discrimination-free societies and a world of equal treatment for all,” says the High Commissioner who this year will mark Human Rights Day in South Africa.

She encourages people everywhere - including the UN family, governments, civil society, national human rights institutions, the media, educators, and individuals - to seize the opportunity of Human Rights Day 2009 to join hands to embrace diversity and end discrimination.

The realisation of all human rights - social, economic and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights – is hampered by discrimination. All too often, when faced with prejudice and discrimination, political leaders, governments and ordinary citizens are silent or complacent.

Yet everyone of us can make a difference. You are encouraged to celebrate Human Rights Day by advocating non-discrimination, organizing activities, raising awareness and reaching out to your local communities on 10 December and throughout 2010.

continues here:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/HumanRightsDay2009.aspx.

Press Conference by Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights

2009-10-21T07:46:00.000-04:00

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York Press Conference by Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples two years ago signalled the “strong commitment” of the international community to remedy historical ills and combat the ongoing denial of rights, correspondents were told at a Headquarters press conference today. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedom of indigenous people, James Anaya, who took up his mandate in May 2008 and delivered his first report to the General Assembly’s Third Committee today (see Press Release GA/SHC/3954), described a range of activities aimed at monitoring the human rights of indigenous people worldwide, including visiting and investigating cases of alleged human rights violations in Brazil, Nepal, Chile, Australia, Botswana, Russian Federation and Colombia. Responding to a question posed by a correspondent regarding his overall impression of human rights achievements in the Russian Federation, Mr. Anaya said he had been impressed by “progressive legislation and laws on the federal and regional levels”. However, he stressed the need to consolidate and secure the implementation of these laws, as conditions were still very difficult for indigenous peoples there in terms of health, life expectancy and other human indicators. He also noted the need, in the Russian Federation and elsewhere, to strengthen indigenous people’s participation in the design and implementation of the programmes designed to benefit them. When asked what kinds of violations were taking place and in which countries, Mr, Anaya responded that he had received allegations from countries throughout the world. The main issue was to note the general pattern of ongoing violations of the rights of indigenous populations, including the right to lands and resources, cultural integrity, and physical security. He said these rights were lacking in places in Latin America, Africa, Asia and other regions. On a positive note, he added that most Governments acknowledged this disparity and were willing to engage in a discussion. Problems remained, however, and structural elements needed to be addressed within each country to ensure equality. Another correspondent, speaking to situations in Latin America, asked whether Governments there were willing to work with indigenous peoples to address issues such as natural resources and their extraction by transnational companies. Mr. Anaya replied that it was difficult to generalize about any one region, but that certain common patterns could be seen in Latin America. Although all countries in that region supported the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, an “enormous gap” existed between recognition and the day-to-day reality. The activities of transnational companies, particularly the extractive industries, remained a common challenge throughout the region with regards to indigenous rights. A further opening of dialogue was needed, he said, between Governments, indigenous peoples, and transnational companies. A consensus must be arrived at by all those concerned, and all parties must be open to various possibilities, in the spirit of cooperation, respect, and a desire to find practical solutions. This posed a “significant challenge”, since many problems were “systemic patterns of violation that dated back literally centuries”, and was hard to reverse. However, he said that, little by little, movement towards that reversal was being made. Governments and indigenous peoples alike should “inject a spirit of optimism”, he said, as a sense that “possible solutions” existed would speed progress. Also speaking to the gap between policies and reality, a correspondent asked whether the last 10 years had seen a reduction of this gap, and what Mr. Anaya’s recommendations were regarding the more urgent challenges. Mr. Anaya said that the gap had actually gotten wider in recent years. This was due to the fact that there was now much greater recognition of indigenous people’s rights, while situations on the ground had “not changed much”. Bridging that gap, or attempting to bridge it, remained at the heart of the Special Rapporteur’s work. Asking how indigenous peoples could take more of an active role in discussions in the Third Committee and elsewhere throughout the Organization, one correspondent pointed out that they were “not like whales or trees, but can have a voice”. Mr. Anaya said he wished that more indigenous journalists and media participated in the relevant United Nations events, and encouraged “colleagues in the indigenous media” to take a more active role. However, he said that the United Nations was widely known as “a system of States”, and, therefore, structural elements were in place that were difficult or impossible to change. However, he noted that some States were including indigenous people in their delegations, and this was “one place to start”. He applauded the actions of Norway, which had included a member of the indigenous Sami people in its delegation who spoke “under the banner of Norway while speaking against Norwegian policy”. When asked about the stark contrast between the living conditions of some indigenous peoples in Canada and the rest of the population, Mr. Anaya responded that, throughout the world, indigenous people suffered the harshest conditions, and that, in many ways, this was a marker of which groups were indigenous. It was “highly troubling” that such conditions often existed, even in developed countries, he said. In circumstances found from the Russian Federation to Canada, he said many times programmes to remedy the situation were launched with good intentions, but did not fit in with “social and political differences”, and were often “laced with paternalism”. Responding to another question, he said that climate change was also a matter of deep concern, as indigenous peoples were suffering the most from its effects, including in the arctic and in small island nations. However, he lamented the fact that animals at risk in the arctic often generated greater media attention than the people there. “You hear more about polar bears and whales than about the people”, he said, a fact that was “deplorable”. Another correspondent pointed out that Botswana’s “official position was that all people of that country were indigenous to Africa and had no separate indigenous groups. Mr. Anaya said it was not his position to dispute that, as it was the prerogative of individuals to identify themselves. However, he said he had expressed to that country’s leaders that he was interested in “particular indigenous groups” that were suffering inequalities, and intended to proceed on that basis. Regarding the situation in Australia, Mr. Anaya said communities that were in their own “country” were the “most healthy”, while those near urban areas tended to suffer greater stress. He added it was, therefore, necessary for Australian indigenous groups to maintain a connection to “their land” to restore the communities’ health “in a holistic way”. He also said that country’s Government was “very aware” of the gap that needed to be bridged, and was carrying out a campaign around bridging that gap in terms of social and economic welfare, basic human indicators, and having a secure culture within a multicultural State. Another correspondent raised the issue of indigenous peoples being driven from areas for environmental purposes, such as the preservation of wildlife or the creation of national parks, as was done when pygmies in Central Africa were expelled from their homes with a view to protecting the gorilla populations. Mr. Anaya stressed that “the rights of gorillas are not the same as the rights of human beings”. Indigenous peoples needed to have a say in such “environmental movements”, he said, and their views should only be overridden under “very exceptional circumstances”. Many times in the past the rights of these groups were trampled in the name of conservation. He strongly hoped those days were over. * *** *

CALL FOR PAPERS: 2010 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD

2009-07-28T20:59:00.000-04:00

The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

CALL FOR PAPERS

2010 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD
Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
American University Washington College of Law

The Academy is proud to announce the topic of the 2010
Human Rights Essay Award. This year’s topic for the
essay in English is: “The Rights of Freedom of Expression
and International Human Rights Law”. Deadline for
submissions is February 1, 2010.

About the Award

This annual competition seeks to stimulate the
production of scholarly works in international
human rights law. The Academy on Human Rights
and Humanitarian Law grants two Awards, one for
the best article in English and one for the best
article in Spanish. The Jury deciding the Award
will be comprised of professionals with a
recognized expertise in international human
rights law. The best articles may be published
in the American University International Law Review.

The Award in each case will consist of:

* a scholarship to the 2010 Specialized Human
Rights Program
* travel expenses* to Washington D.C.
* housing* at the university dorms
* per diem for living expenses* for the three-
week session

*subject to restrictions

Eligibility and Requirements

· Participants may choose any subject related
to the assigned topic: “The Rights of Freedom of
Expression and International Human Rights Law”.

· Candidates must hold a law degree.

· Submissions must be unpublished legal papers
in English, written solely by the candidate.

· Articles must not exceed 35 pages, including
footnotes, and must be double spaced using 12-point
Times New Roman font.

· Articles must be submitted via email to
hracademy@wcl.american.edu in Microsoft Word format.

· The deadline to submit articles is February 1,
2010, at 10:00 a.m. EST.

· Winners will be announced on April 1, 2010
on our website

· A comprehensive list of rules is available at:
www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy.hraward.cfm

If you have questions please contact the Academy of Human
Rights and Humanitarian Law at 202-274-4070 or via email
at hracademy@wcl.american.edu.

E-learning course on minority rights and indigenous peoples

2009-06-26T15:30:00.000-04:00

E-learning course on minority rights and indigenous peoples

The course traces the conceptual, political and legal questions associated with the protection of minorities. Participants will debate the challenges of protecting "new" minorities (such as migrants) as opposed to "old" (autochtonous) minorities. Some topics addressed include rights related to religion, language, land, and education. Apply by 1 August 2009.
Learn more >>

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) releases its annual activity report for 2008

2009-06-17T15:25:00.000-04:00

ECRI'S LISTSERVE
Publication of ECRI’s Annual Report
STRASBOURG, 02.06.2009: The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) releases its annual activity report for 2008. This Annual Report describes ECRI’s main activities in 2008 and also highlights the main trends with regard to the presence of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance across Europe:
http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/default_en.asp

ECRI is an independent human rights body of the Council of Europe which monitors problems of racism and intolerance, prepares reports and issues recommendations to member states.

Reports from the 8th Session of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

2009-06-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

A partial set of reports from the 8th session of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held 18-29 May, 2009 in New York, are available at this site: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_eighth.html

Draft Report on the Periodic Universal Review: New Zealand

2009-05-26T21:19:00.001-04:00

The U.N. Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review issued its Draft Report on the Universal Periodic Review: New Zealand and recommended strengthening protection for the Maori.

Academy on Human Rights, American University, Washington College of Law

2009-05-26T11:02:00.000-04:00

Human Rights Month (May 18 – June 12, 2009) A month of events dedicated to human rights theory sponsored by the American University Washington College of Law, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The following panels include former presidents of the Inter-American Commission and the Court, as well as representatives from human rights organizations, and academia. Panels May 27: The Role of International Courts: Current Issues and Future Challenges May 29: Ratification of Human Rights Treaties and the Obama Administration June 1: Environment and Human Rights: Developments on Implementation Co-sponsored by the International and Comparative Environmental Law Program, American University June 3: Indigenous Peoples Rights: Current Status in International Human Rights Law June 5-9: IV Annual Meeting on Human Rights: The 50th Anniversary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights June 5: A Retrospective Look at the Work of the Commission June 8: Freedom of Expression: A Key Issue on the Commission’s Agenda June 9: A Look at the Future of the Commission: How will it Evolve? June 10: Human Rights Violations after 9/11: A Debate about Accountability Details: WCL Room 603, 12:30 to 2:30 Live webcast on our website: www.wcl.american.edu/humright/hracademy/hrmonth.cfm RSVP: www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration Phone: 202-274-4295 Email: hracademy@wcl.american.edu

UN Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs

2009-04-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

From UN Pulse: Prisoners with special needs handbook Posted at 10:50:58 AM in Human Rights | | Permanent Link: Prisoners with special needs handbook The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued another publication for its Criminal Justice Handbook series. The Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs (full-text, pdf) covers the special needs of prisoners in eight groups, namely: Prisoners with mental health care needs; Prisoners with disabilities; Ethnic and racial minorities and indigenous peoples; Foreign national prisoners; Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners; Older prisoners; Prisoners with terminal illness; Prisoners under sentence of death. U.N. Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs

Recent Law Review articles on Indigenous Peoples June-Dec 2008

2009-04-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

From High Hopes to Disillusionment: Indigenous Peoples' Struggle to (re)Gain Their Right to Self-determination Koivurova, Timo International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 15, Number 1, 2008, p.1-26 Possessing the Pacific: Land, Settlers, and Indigenous People from Australia to Alaska, by Stuart Banner Eamon Lorincz Harvard Environmental Law Review, Volume 32, Number 2, 2008, p.597 Fencing Off the Eagle and the Condor, Border Politics, and Indigenous Peoples Angelique EagleWoman Natural Resources & Environment, Volume 23, Number 2, Fall 2008, p.33 The Impact of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Wisconsin Tribes Jon Beidelschies Wisconsin International Law Journal, Volume 26, Number 2, Summer 2008, p.479 Who are the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and New Zealand? Natalie Coates Journal of South Pacific Law, Volume 12, Number 1, 2008, p.49-55 Indigenous Sovereignty: A Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Siegfried Wiessner Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Volume 41, Number 4, October 2008, p.1141 Climate Change and Human Rights: Issues and Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples Emily Gerrard University of New South Wales Law Journal, Volume 31, Number 3, 2008, p.941

Australia to sign UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2009-03-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

Australia to Become Signatory to the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Posted: Friday, 13 March 2009, 9:56 (EST)

According to 2009 Australian of the Year, Professor Mick Dodson, the Rudd Government would reverse the position of the previous Howard administration to sign the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

After the Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations, the Federal Government has committed to establish and implement policies to reduce the gap between non-indigenous Australians and indigenous Australians.

Continued here:http://au.christiantoday.com/article/australia-to-become-signatory-to-the-united-nations-declaration-on-rights-of-indigenous-peoples/5711.htm

UN Human Rights Day 2008

2008-12-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

Schedule of Events for Human Rights Day 10 December, 2008 at UN Headquarters in New York
On Human Rights Day, 10 December, 2007 the Secretary-General launched a year-long campaign during which all parts of the United Nations family took part in the lead up to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on Human Rights Day 2008.
With more than 360 language versions to help them, UN organizations around the globe used the year to focus on helping people everywhere to learn about their human rights. The UDHR was the first international recognition that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms and it continues to be a living and relevant document today.
The theme of the campaign, “Dignity and justice for all of us,” reinforces the vision of the Declaration as a commitment to universal dignity and justice and not something that should be viewed as a luxury or a wish-list.

Continued here: http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2008/.

Amazon Indians' protest forces repeal of laws

2008-09-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

{From Survival International} Protests by thousands of Indians across the Peruvian Amazon have led to the repeal of two controversial laws by the Peruvian Congress. The protests were in response to new laws decreed by President Garcia that the Indians said undermined their rights and made it easier for outsiders to seize control of their territories. Following ten days of protests, Congress voted to repeal two of the most controversial laws – Legislative Decrees 1015 and 1073. The leader of Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, described the decision as heralding a ‘new dawn’ for indigenous peoples in Peru. The protests, called off last week, involved an estimated 14,000 Indians. Roads and a river were blockaded, an oil pipeline picketed, and a hydroelectric plant surrounded. The repeal of the two laws must be approved by Peru’s Executive.

Call for Papers: 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD

2008-09-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR PAPERS 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law American University Washington College of Law The Academy is proud to announce the topic of the 2009 Human Rights Essay Award. This year’s topic for the essay in English is: “60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: its contemporary normative impact”. Deadline for submissions is February 3, 2009. About the Award This annual competition seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly works in international human rights law. The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law grants two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Jury deciding the Award will be comprised of professionals with a recognized expertise in international human rights law. The best articles may be published in the American University International Law Review. The Award in each case will consist of: a scholarship to the 2009 Specialized Human Rights Program travel expenses* to Washington D.C. housing* at the university dorms per diem for living expenses* for the three-week session Eligibility and Requirements · Participants may choose any subject related to the assigned topic: “60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: its contemporary normative impact”. · Candidates must hold a law degree. · Submissions must be unpublished legal papers in English, written solely by the candidate. · Articles must not exceed 35 pages, including footnotes, and must be double spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font. · Articles must be submitted via email to hracademy@wcl.american.edu in Microsoft Word format. · The deadline to submit articles is February 3, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST. · Winners will be announced on April 1, 2009 on our website · A comprehensive list of rules is available at: www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy.hraward.cfm If you have questions please contact the Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at 202-274-4070 or via email at hracademy@wcl.american.edu *subject to restrictions

Article: Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples

2008-08-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples Full-text here: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002932 Matt Finer1*, Clinton N. Jenkins2, Stuart L. Pimm2, Brian Keane3, Carl Ross1 1 Save America's Forests, Washington D. C., United States of America2 Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America3 Land Is Life, Somerville, Massachusetts, United States of America Abstract Background The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large reserves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to unprecedented exploration and development in the region. Methodology/Principal Findings We synthesized information from government sources to quantify the status of oil development in the western Amazon. National governments delimit specific geographic areas or “blocks” that are zoned for hydrocarbon activities, which they may lease to state and multinational energy companies for exploration and production. About 180 oil and gas blocks now cover ~688,000 km2 of the western Amazon. These blocks overlap the most species-rich part of the Amazon. We also found that many of the blocks overlap indigenous territories, both titled lands and areas utilized by peoples in voluntary isolation. In Ecuador and Peru, oil and gas blocks now cover more than two-thirds of the Amazon. In Bolivia and western Brazil, major exploration activities are set to increase rapidly. Conclusions/Significance Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extraction means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the most pressing oil- and gas-related conservation policy issues confronting the region. These include the need for regional Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments and the adoption of roadless extraction techniques. We also consider the conflicts where the blocks overlap indigenous peoples' territories. Citation: Finer M, Jenkins CN, Pimm SL, Keane B, Ross C (2008) Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples. PLoS ONE 3(8): e2932. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002932 Editor: Dennis Marinus Hansen, Stanford University, United States of America Received: June 5, 2008; Accepted: July 13, 2008; Published: August 13, 2008 Copyright: © 2008 Finer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by the Forrest C. and Frances H. Lattner Foundation Inc. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: matt@saveamericasforests.org

UN Secretary General's message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

2008-08-11T07:35:00.000-04:00

New York, 9 August 2008 - Message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous People In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 9 August as the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. There were many reasons for this decision, but the fundamental motivation was the Assembly's recognition of the need to place the United Nations clearly and strongly behind the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, in order to put an end to their marginalization, their extreme poverty, the expropriation of their traditional lands and the other grave human rights abuses they have faced and continue to encounter. Indeed, the suffering of indigenous peoples includes some of the darkest episodes in human history. Important as it was, proclamation of the day was only a prelude to a greater milestone: last fall's adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is a visionary step towards addressing the human rights of indigenous peoples. It sets out a framework on which states can build or re-build their relationships with indigenous peoples. The result of more than two decades of negotiations, it provides a momentous opportunity for states and indigenous peoples to strengthen their relationships, promote reconciliation, and ensure that the past is not repeated. I encourage Member States and indigenous peoples to come together in a spirit of mutual respect, and make use of the Declaration as the living document it is so that it has a real and positive effect throughout the world. As 2008 is the International Year of Languages, this International Day is also an opportunity to recognize the silent crisis confronting many of the world's languages, the overwhelming majority of which are indigenous peoples' languages. The loss of these languages would not only weaken the world's cultural diversity, but also our collective knowledge as a human race. I call on States, indigenous peoples, the UN system and all relevant actors to take immediate steps to protect and promote endangered languages, and to ensure the safe passage of this shared heritage to future generations.

Minority Rights Group's Online World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

2008-07-14T21:40:00.000-04:00

MRG's World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples MRG recently launched the first online database of the world's minorities and indigenous peoples. The World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples covers 220 of the world's countries and dependent territories, and features profiles of about 700 minorities/indigenous peoples. It is a unique resource for policy-makers, governments, journalists, academics and all those with an interest in the growing field of minority rights. http://www.minorityrights.org/directory

Some Recent Law Review Articles on Ethnic Minorities:

2008-06-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

A SUMMARY OF CONTRADICTIONS: AN OUTLINE OF THE EU'S MAIN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPROACHES TO ETHNIC MINORITY PROTECTION Dimitry Kochenov. Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, Volume 31, Number 1, Winter 2008, p.1 Age, Racial/Ethnic Minority Status, Gender and Misdemeanor Sentencing Edward A. Munoz, Adrienne B. Freng. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, Volume 5, Issue 4, 2007, p.29-57 The Ethnic Minority Policies of the People's Republic of China: Patronage and Prejudice Corey Bosely. Rutgers Race & the Law Review, Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 2007, p.291 Ethnic Minorities and the Challenge of Police Recruitment Ian Waters, Nick Hardy, Domonique Delgado and Simone Dahlmann. Police Journal, Volume 80, Number 3, 2007, p.191 Drug Trafficking and Ethnic Minorities in Western Europe Letizia Paoli and Peter Reuter. European Journal of Criminology, Volume 5, Number 1, January 2008, p.13-37

Some Recent articles on Indigenous Peoples:

2008-06-22T20:42:00.000-04:00

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: A Flexible Approach to Addressing the Unique Needs of Varying Populations Viniyanka Prasad. Chicago Journal of International Law, Volume 9, Number 1, Summer 2008, p.297

LEGAL MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN A POST-COLONIAL WORLD Jessica Myers Moran. Holy Cross Journal of Law and Public Policy, Volume 12, Number 1, 2008, p.71

Indigenous Peoples' Courts: Egalitarian Juridical Pluralism, Self-Determination, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Christopher J. Fromherz. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Volume 156, Number 5, May 2008, p.1341

Wade David on endangered cultures: a TED Talk

2008-06-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

Wade Davis talks about the disappearance of indigenous cultures at TED:

Argentina using DNA testing to identify the "Disappeared".

2008-03-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

From the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/24/argentina.genetics

Argentina is appealing to relatives of the "Disappeared" from the time of the "Dirty War" to give blood samples to be used in identifying 600+ human remains.

21 March is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

2008-03-20T23:33:00.000-04:00

Link to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights page: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/events/racism/ and to the Dag Hammarskjold Library page: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/racial

UNDG Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples Issues

2008-03-17T14:58:00.000-04:00

From the February 2008 UN OHCHR Update on Minority Issues "The United Nations Development Group approved Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples' Issues on 1 February 2008. The Guidelines are designed to assist UN Country Teams integrate indigenous peoples' issues into country policies and programmes. The Guidelines were drafted by a group on UN organizations and specialized agencies under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples'Issues." The text is available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/docs/guidelines.pdf

10 anniversary of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

2008-03-17T14:25:00.000-04:00

On March 11, the Council of Europe opened a Conference on the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The program of the conference is here: http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/minorities/1._GENERAL_PRESENTATION/ PDF_Programme%20conference%20%20E%20080305.pdf Further information is here on the website of the Secretariat of the Framework Convention: http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_Rights/Minorities/ The website for the COE Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is located here: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/minlang/Default_en.asp

Response of CERD to US Reports on treatment of Indigenous Peoples by USA

2008-03-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has issued it's report on the review of the reports of the USA on the treatment of indigenous peoples within the US and it's territories. The report criticizes the US on several issues; lack of consultation with indigenous groups, interpretation of "racial discrimination"; physical violence against indigenous women; and treatment of sacred sites, etc. It refers to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a doc the US needs to use as a guideline. The report is here: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/CERD-C-USA-CO-6.pdf A consolidated Shadow Report by US indigenous groups is available here: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ngos/usa/USHRN8.doc and the International Indian Treaty Council has issued a press release here: http://www.treatycouncil.org/PDFs/PressReleaseCERDfinal30808%20_2_.pdf

Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples

2008-02-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

On 13 Feb 2008, Hon. Kevin Rudd, M.P., the Prime Minister of Australia, presented an Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples in Parliament. The Leader of the Opposition also spoke on the same matter. See http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/ See, also, this collection of quotes on the issue: http://viv.id.au/blog/?p=1446

Forum on Minority Issues

2008-02-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

Forum on Minority Issues Replacing the former Working Group on Minorities, the Forum on Minority Issues was established on 28 September 2007 at the 6th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) as a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on minority issues and for contributing to the work of the Independent Expert on minority issues. Its tasks will be: * To identify issues and best practices * To make recommendations on the implementation of the 1992 United Nations Minorities Declaration * To provide the Independent Expert on Minority Issues with information * To contribute to the High Commissioner's efforts of improving the co-operation among United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, Funds and Programmes on activities related to the promotion and protection of the rights of minorities The Forum will be open to the participation of: * States * UN mechanisms, bodies and agencies * National human rights institutions * Academics and experts * NGOs The Forum will meet for 2 days every year. The Forum Chair will be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council in consultation with regional groups and in accordance with regional rotation. The Independent Expert on minority issues will guide the work of the Forum by recommending focus topics. She will also transmit the Forum's thematic recommendations to the HRC. It is suggested that the first meeting of the Forum should take place in September 2008. Details will follow in due course.

10th Anniversary of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

2008-02-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

Press release - 071(2008) 10th anniversary of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities Statement by Ján Kubiš, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Strasbourg, 01.02.2008 - Ján Kubiš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and chairman-in-office of the Committee of Ministers, said the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was an important day in the Council of Europe’s efforts to protect and promote human rights in Europe, of which the rights of persons belonging to national minorities are part and parcel. Mr. Kubiš recalled that the Convention was the first legally-binding multilateral instrument on minority protection. Continued here: http://www.coe.int/t/dc/press/WCD/AllPR_en.asp#

Expert mechanism adds implementation clout to UN declaration

2008-01-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

Posted: January 04, 2008
by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today

GENEVA - The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the U.N. General Assembly last September was hailed as a historic political and moral victory for the world's 370 million indigenous peoples. Now that victory will be backed up with some practical clout to implement the declaration's principles of self-government, protection of cultural identities and control over traditional lands and territories.

On Dec. 13, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution to establish the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The expert mechanism will report directly to the council as a subsidiary body that will ''assist the Human Rights Council in the implementation of its mandate.'' The body will consist of five independent experts selected according to U.N. criteria.

The resolution creating the expert mechanism ''strongly recommends'' the inclusion of indigenous experts. Members of the group will provide thematic expertise and make proposals and recommendations directly to the council regarding the rights of indigenous peoples.

Continued at http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416412

Draft Reso;ution is at http://www.docip.org/anglais/NewMechanismL42Rev1FINAL.pdf

Lakotah Unilateral Withdrawal from All Agreements and Treaties with the United States of America

2008-01-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

Press conference - December 17, 2007

We as the freedom loving Lakotah People are the predecessor sovereign of Dakota Territory as evidenced by the Treaties with the United States Government, including, but not limited to, the Treaty of 1851 and the Treaty of 1868 at Fort Laramie. Lakotah, formally and unilaterally withdraws from all agreements and treaties imposed by the United States Government on the Lakotah People. Lakotah , and the population therein, have waited for at least 155 years for the United States of America to adhere to the provisions of the above referenced treaties. The continuing violations of these treaties’ terms have resulted in the near annihilation of our people physically, spiritually, and culturally. Lakotah rejects United States Termination By Appropriation policy from 1871 to the present. In addition, the evidence of gross violations of the above referenced treaties are listed herein. Lakotah encourages the United States of America, through its Government ,to enter into dialogue with Lakotah regarding the boundaries, the land and the resources therein.

Even though we are citizens of the United States of America, we are denied protections of the United States Constitution while living on Indian reservations, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The operation of the United States in the nefarious ways outlined above are a violation, not only of the sovereignty and independence of Lakotah, not only of the solemn treaty signed between the U.S. and Lakotah, but it is a violation of the fundamental law of the United States itself. Article Six of the United States Constitution explicitly states that treaties signed by the United States are the supreme law of the land, and must be respected by every court and by every lawmaker, as such.

Continued at http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2008/01/lakotah_unilate.html

Indigenous Women and the United Nations System

2007-11-13T00:11:00.000-05:00

Indigenous Women and the United Nations System is a publication issued at the 6th Session of the Task Force on Indigenous Women and it relates 18 case studies from 2005 and 2006.

The Task Force on Indigenous Women is a new organ from the Inter Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Comments on the Declaration

2007-10-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Towards Re-empowerment

JURIST Guest Columnists S. James Anaya of the Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, and Siegfried Wiessner of St. Thomas University School of Law say that the UN General Assembly's recent landslide adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a milestone in the re-empowerment of the world's aboriginal groups, and that, in important parts, it reaffirms customary international law in the field ...

Continued at http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2007/10/un-declaration-on-rights-of-indigenous.php

UN General Assembly adopts Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2007-09-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

United Nations adopts Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

13 September 2007 – The General Assembly today adopted a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world’s estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them – a move that followed more than two decades of debate.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been approved after 143 Member States voted in favour, 11 abstained and four – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States – voted against the text.

A non-binding text, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

Continued: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23794&Cr=indigenous&Cr1=#

UN General Assembly to vote on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2007-09-12T07:37:00.000-04:00

**Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The Assembly is scheduled to take action on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at a plenary meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, 13 September, in the GA Hall. At the same meeting the Assembly will also pay tribute to the Presidents of the 30th and 24th sessions, Mr. Gaston Thorn of Luxembourg and Ms. Angie Brooks of Liberia, respectively, who passed away recently. Ms. Brooks was the second woman to serve as President of the General Assembly.

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2007/db070911.doc.htm

International Day of the World's Indigenous People, 9 August

2007-08-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

The Dag Hammarskjold Library has put up a web page for the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 9 August 2007.

WIPO and Traditional Knowledge

2007-07-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

WIPO held a meeting from 3-12 July 2007 on the protection of traditional knowledge. Here is a link to the meeting document"The Protection of Traditional Knowledge: Revised Objectives and Principles"

In Amazonia, Defending the Hidden Tribes

2007-07-08T10:49:00.000-04:00

In Amazonia, Defending the Hidden Tribes

By Monte Reel

Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, July 8, 2007; Page A01

COLIDER, Brazil -- At first, few believed the story that two brothers told about four unknown Indians who suddenly appeared to them one afternoon on the outskirts of their village.

Like most Kayapo Indians, the brothers -- named Bepro and Beprytire -- live in a government-demarcated reserve, wear modern clothing and get energy from solar-powered generators. But the four unclothed visitors were a different kind of Kayapo.

They spoke in an antiquated tongue that seemed a precursor to the language spoken in the village, located in the Capoto-Jarina Indian Reserve in central Brazil. The four men had come from a tribe that had remained in the forest, the brothers said, untouched by the modern world.

Continued at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701312.html?hpid=artslot

Free subscription required

Russian Indigenous Languages Disappearing

2007-02-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

A BBC report on the loss of indigenous languages in Russia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6389791.stm

UN General Assembly Defers Action on the Declaration of Indigenus Peoples' Rights

2006-12-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

United Nations 20 December 2006 General Assembly GA/10563 ---

Department of Public Information o News and Media Division o New York Sixty-first General Assembly Plenary 82^nd Meeting (AM)

Concluding consideration of Third Committee reports, General Assembly adopts convention on enforced disappearance Defers Action on Indigenous Peoples' Declaration; Adopts Texts on Kidnapping, Trafficking in Persons, UN Crime Programme, African Institute, World Drug Problem

. . . . .

In other business, the Assembly adopted a resolution on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by which it decided to defer consideration of and action on that document until sometime before the end of the current session. The deferment had been sought by delegations who had expressed concerns about the Declaration's potential effects on national sovereignty and land rights, though several other Member States, mainly from Latin America, had noted during the Committee's meetings that, after 24 years of drafting and revisions to address the concerns of many delegations, it was time to make the Declaration a reality. That resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 85 in favour to none against, with 89 abstentions (see annex).

. . . .

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/ga10563.doc.htm

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT; VOTES TO DEFER ACTION CONCERNING DECLARATION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

2006-12-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT; VOTES TO DEFER ACTION CONCERNING DECLARATION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Human Rights Council Second Session

2006-11-03T00:39:00.000-05:00

The Human Rights Council ended it's second session on 6 October 2006 and deferred action on various human rights resolutions until it's session on 27 November 2006, see http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp? NewsID=20165&Cr=rights&Cr1=council

World Civil Society calls on UN to recognize Indigenous Rights

2006-10-06T23:46:00.000-04:00

World's Governments Pressed on Native Peoples' Rights Haider Rizvi, OneWorld US, Fri., Oct. 6, 2006 UNITED NATIONS, Oct 6 (OneWorld) - Global civil society organizations are pressing the 192-nation U.N. General Assembly to recognize indigenous peoples' rights to their land and resources. ''This is an opportunity that must not be lost,'' said Nicholas Howen, secretary-general of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). He referred to a proposed Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues drafted the document over years of intense diplomacy involving governments, indigenous peoples' representatives, and numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Continued here: http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/140501/1/4536

Australian Federal Court recognizes Native Title Claim to Perth

2006-09-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

The decision of the Australian Federal Court in Bennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243 (19 September 2006) recognizing Native Title to portions of Perth, is now online at http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2006/1243.html. This victory for the Noongar people in a Native Title or Titles (Validation) and Native Title (Effect of Past Acts) Act 1995 action, is causing widespread reaction in Australia.

Report: Czechs, others sterilize Gypsies

2006-09-06T16:06:00.000-04:00

Report: Czechs, others sterilize Gypsies A new draft UN report and rights activists say a Soviet-era campaign to sterilize Romany women continues. By Jeffrey White | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC – It is only after a male visitor leaves the room that Helena Gorolova, standing next to her husband, lowers her voice and says, "as a woman I feel worthless." Ms. Gorolova cannot have any more children. Sixteen years ago, she says, doctors at a hospital here sterilized her while she gave birth to her second son by caesarean section. In the throes of labor they had her sign a form authorizing the sterilization, but did not explain what it was. "They said, 'You have to sign this or you will die,' " says Gorolova. "At that time I would have signed my own death sentence, I was in such pain. I had no idea what the word [sterilization] meant. I signed something, but I didn't know what it was." Continued at http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0906/p07s02-woeu. html?s=hns

2006-07-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

DATE: 29 June 2006 From the UN: Human Rights Council Adopts the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples The Human Rights Council has adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and recommended its adoption by the General Assembly, Human Rights Council Resolution 2006/2. DATE: 15-26 May 2006 From the UN Fifth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held

The Agenda and Reports from the Fifth Session are reported on this web page: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_fifth.html.

From DOCIP: The Indigenous Peoples' Centre for Documentation has transcripts of all presentations made by IGO and NGO representatives during the Fifth Session: Permanent Forum Statements.

2005

DATE: 20 Oct 2005 From the UN: UNESCO and Bioethics: UNESCO has adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. It joins two other standard-setting texts on bioethics: the 1997 Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, and the 2003 International Declaration on Human Genetic Data. DATE: 21-23 Sept 2005 From the UN: A Technical Workshop on Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Peoples was held in Panama City from 21 -23 September 2005. The papers and reports from the Workshop are now available. DATE: 18 Aug 2005 From the UN: Draft Program for the Second International Decade for the World's Indigenous Peoples Draft Program of Action for the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the Addendum of 26 August 2005 from the Secretary General. For other languages see the News and Events page of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues DATE: 9 Aug 2005 From the UN: August 9 is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples In December the General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/59/174 for a Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples starting on 1 January 2005. The recommendation of the Third Committee and the text are here: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/news/a59500/a59500eng.pdf. A Program of Action is anticipated in August 2005. DATE:16 May 2005 From the UN News Service: UN opens two-week forum on indigenous issues to consider ways forward With indigenous peoples being the poorest and most marginalized in many countries, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today said the failure of Member States to negotiate an acceptable declaration on their rights is one of the major challenges facing the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. DATE: 11 May 2005 Today, the ILO released it's Report on Forced Labor: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005/22.htm "Most forced labour today is still exacted in developing countries where older forms of forced labour are sometimes transmuting into newer ones, notably in a range of informal sector activities, the report says. Debt bondage frequently affects minorities - including indigenous peoples - that have long experienced discrimination on the labour market, and locks them in a vicious cycle of poverty from which they find it ever more difficult to escape. Many victims are working in remote geographical areas, where labour inspection presents a particular challenge." DATE: Thu, 05 May 2005 17:59:37 +0300 From: MINELRES moderator, minelres@mailbox.riga.lv
Original sender: Natalie Schweizer NSchweizer@ohchr.org ELEVENTH SESSION OF THE WORKING GROUP ON MINORITIES 30 May - 3 June 2005, Geneva The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has the honour to inform your organization that the eleventh session of the Working Group on Minorities will take place from 30 May to 3 June 2005 at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations, Room XXVI. The provisional agenda and other information pertaining to the organization of the eleventh session of the Working Group on Minorities will be available very soon on the web site of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the following address: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/minorities/group/main.htm For information on NGO participation, please see: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/minorities/group/ngoparticipation.htm For further information or queries please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat of the eleventh session of the Working Group on Minorities at phone 022 917 92 04 or 022 917 92 45, e-mail: fblyth-kubota@ohchr.org or nschweizer@ohchr.org and at fax no. 022 917 90 10. More Indigenous and Ethnic Minority News