Dialogue Between Nations

21 May 2007

Press Release
Department of Public Information
News and Media Division
New York

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
HR/4922

Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Sixth Session
10th & 11th Meetings (AM & PM)


FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF ASIA’S NATIVE PEOPLE
INCREASINGLY VIOLATED,

SITUATION LONG NEGLECTED, UNITED NATIONS FORUM TOLD


Indigenous Urban Migration Trend Also Discussed; Speakers Say,
Regardless of Cause, Indigenous Face Substantial Difficulties
in Urban Settings

With increasing violations of the fundamental rights of native peoples in Asia due to the militarization of ancestral lands and the imposition of repressive national security, it was urgent that Asian Governments recognize the region’s indigenous peoples for who they were: distinct groups with their own unique cultures, but with inherent human rights to be respected like all other citizens, a representative of the Asia Caucus told the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues today.

She noted that several Asian Governments had sought a formal definition of indigenous peoples and that, despite concern that creating a formal definition could lead to discriminatory acts, she believed that legally binding criteria for who could be regarded as “indigenous” peoples could be agreed upon at the national level and within the context of a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“It is of urgent concern that we move forward on this issue in order to fully address the legitimate concerns of indigenous peoples in relation to our collective rights, for the best interest of all stakeholders, including States,” she told the Forum, which divided its work between discussion of Asia in the morning and of urban issues in the afternoon.

Rounding out the issue of identification, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, said that the situation of Asia’s tribal and native peoples -- counting in the millions, in all countries of the region -- had long been neglected, and had only recently been the object of distinct attention in international forums. The reasons for such historical neglect could be found in any number of discriminatory provisions and legal distinctions concerning indigenous people in the domestic norms and polices of a number of countries.

MORE

 

Intro 2007 | Distinct Cultures Erode | Collective Survival | Recognition of Indigenous Rights | Anti-Poverty Goals
Extinction | Asia | Data Collection | Implementation | Climate Change | Free, Prior and Informed Consent

Kari-Oca Revisited

Nations to Nations Legend


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