United Nations Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues
Agenda Item #7: Work Plan
"Working As One"
A Statement Submitted by the Center for International Indigenous Legal
Studies ("CIILS")
A project of the First Nations Legal Studies Program at The Faculty of
Law, University of British Columbia
May 13-24, 2002
New York, New York
Mr. Chairperson,
Greetings! It gives me great pleasure to speak with you today. I am
Professor June McCue, Director of the First Nations Legal Studies program
at the Faculty of Law, UBC in Vancouver, Canada.
It is my hope that members of the Permanent Forum secure the necessary
resources to meet the mandate set out in ECOSOC Resolution 2000/22. To
meet its mandate and in the spirit of "working as one", I recommend that
the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues work with academic or education
institutions where Indigenous studies, programs, clinics, schools, and
other education fora exist worldwide.
Such academic or education institutions provide an untapped wealth of
resources for purposes relating to research, information dissemination and
raising awareness, and the opportunity to provide Indigenous and
non-indigenous learners with relevant curricula that incorporates
Indigenous worldviews, methodology, pedagogy and respect for Indigenous
issues and developments at the international level.
At the Center for International Indigenous Legal Studies, UBC, we are
developing an institution that brings Indigenous Peoples, students and
academics together to "work as one" for the purposes of building legal
capacity within a self-determination framework. The Center's goals are to
provide Indigenous access to legal research and on-line legal education
and information programs on legal needs as identified by Indigenous
Peoples. Specifically, the Centre is mandated to provide an international
component to its legal education, research and information programs.
According to the findings of the CIILS Community Legal Needs Assessment -
Bridging The Gap, Indigenous participants in British Columbia have
indicated that International Indigenous Legal Developments are relevant to
their peoples at local levels, especially in relation to the protection of
aboriginal and treaty rights. Many of the needs brought to the Permanent
Forum over the past two weeks by Indigenous delegates are consistent with
the Bridging The Gap findings. We have also found that Indigenous Peoples
do not have adequate legal representation, advocacy, or justice workers to
meet their legal needs. The lack of international Indigenous legal
professionals is also a reality. At the Center, Indigenous students and
academics, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, have the opportunity to
develop this legal capacity and address this gap.
I invite the Permanent Forum to partner with the Center for International
Indigenous Legal Studies and other academic or education institutions
worldwide as one of the ways to achieve its mandate of providing expert
advice and recommendations on Indigenous issues to ECOSOC and UN agencies,
raising awareness, promotion and the coordination of activities relating
to Indigenous issues with the UN system, and preparing and disseminating
information on indigenous issues.
By "working as one" we can organize to provide the requisite forums for
international legal development that is respectful of Indigenous
worldviews and enhances the life of the UN family to address our economic,
social, human rights, education, women and children, cultural, health and
environmental needs.
I thank you for your time today and wish the Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues all the best in setting the course for Indigenous participation at
the international level.
Professor June McCue
Faculty of Law, UBC
1822 East Mall
Vancouver, B.C.
V6T 1Z1
604-822-5559 (tel)
604-822-8108 (fax)
ciils@law.ubc.ca
mccue@law.ubc.ca |