KIMBERLEY INTRODUCTION

The Indigenous Peoples' International Summit on Sustainable Development
 August 20-24, 2002
Kimberley, South Africa


Conference Hall, Kimberley, South Africa

As the world prepared for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Indigenous Peoples were called upon to provide their own assessment of the implementation of sustainable development over the last decade and to identify which priorities and partnerships are important for them in the coming years. In 1992, at the United Nations World Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Indigenous peoples were recognized as a Major Group, and the United Nations' objectives concerning their role is specified in Chapter 26, of Agenda 21.

Ten years later, before the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development convened, Indigenous Peoples came together for an Indigenous Peoples' International Summit on Sustainable Development that was held in Kimberley, South Africa on 20-24 August, 2002. The summit's objective was to develop the Indigenous Peoples' Agenda for Sustainable Development, present it to the WSSD and develop strategies for its implementation beyond the WSSD.

The tentative agenda for the Indigenous Peoples' Summit focused on the following themes:

1. Indigenous Peoples' agenda for sustainable development

2. Indigenous Peoples and globalization

3. Indigenous Peoples and the UN Convention and agencie

4. Hot spots and urgent action require

5. Implementation of Indigenous Peoples' strategies for sustainable development beyond the WSSD

National Khoi-San Consultative Conference (NKOK) and the Indigenous Peoples' Coordinating Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (IPCC-WSSD)

The Indigenous Peoples' Summit was organized by an international Coordinating Committee, which was established and consolidated during Preparatory Committees 2 - 4 of the WSSD. The Coordinating Committee represented seven regions - Asia, Africa, Circumpolar, Russia, Latin America, North America and the Pacific. It had the responsibility for sharing information and communicating with their regions, consolidating regional/thematic strategies, developing shared priorities and strategies for the WSSD and beyond, preparing for the Indigenous Peoples' Summit and coordinating an agenda of Indigenous side-events during the WSSD.

The Coordinating Committee was composed of the following organizations:

• Indigenous Information Network/African Indigenous Women's Organization, (Africa/Kenya)

• National Khoisan Consultative Conference (South Africa)
  Coordinadora de Organizaciones de la Cuenca Amazonica - COICA, (Amazon Region)

• Fundacion para la Promocion del conocimiento Indigena (Mesoamerica)
  Indigenous Environmental Network (North America/Canada)

• Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara - AMAN (Indonesia)

• Tebtebba Foundation (International and Philippines)

• Saami Council (Scandinavia/Russia)

• International Alliance of the indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest (International)

• RAIPON, (Russia)

• Inuit Circumpolar Conference - ICC (Circumpolar Region)

• Taji Seque (Bolivia)

The National Khoisan Consultative Conference, South Africa was responsible for the logistical arrangements for the summit.

In 1992 prior to the UNCED, Indigenous peoples held their own summit in Kari-Oca to develop their own Declaration and Charter on sustainable development. The Kari-Oca Summit was instrumental in formulating the basic documents for Indigenous Peoples on issues related to sustainable development at a global level, and for influencing the official and the civil society summits. Ten years after, Indigenous Peoples gathered once again, this time they assessed the progress that had been attained as well as identifying future priorities and partnerships for achieving sustainable development.

Copyright Natalie Drache 1999