PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

COMMITTEE ON JURIDICAL AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS
OEA/Ser.K/XVI
GT/DADIN/doc.144/03 rev. l
1
6 October 2003
Original: Spanish

Working Group to Prepare the
Draft American Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples

INITIAL MEETING OF NEGOTIATIONS IN THE QUEST FOR POINTS OF CONSENSUS
(Simón Bolívar Room - November 10 to 12, 2003)
 

AGENDA
 


Monday, November 10
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Registration of participants  
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. OPENING SESSION  
9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. FIRST WORK SESSION: Section One:
Scope of Application
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. SECOND WORK SESSION: Section Two:
Human Rights

Tuesday, November 11
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. THIRD WORK SESSION: Section Three:
Cultural Identity
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. FOURTH WORK SESSION: Section Three:
Cultural Identity

Wednesday, November 12
9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. FIFTH WORK SESSION: Section Four:
Organizational and Political Rights
2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. SIXTH WORK SESSION Section Four:
Organizational and Political Rights
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m CLOSING SESSION  

 

FERRERO COSTA
Ambassador Eduardo Ferrero Costa
Permanent Representative of Peru
to the OAS
Hector Huertas
Kuna (Panama)
Chair of the Indigenous Caucus

PRESS RELEASE
Organization of American States

OAS OPENS ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS ON
AMERICAN DECLARATION ON RIGHTS
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

November 10, 2003

Assistant Secretary Luigi Einaudi today opened a round of negotiations at Organization of American States (OAS) Headquarters, underscoring important progress he said has been made in drafting an American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Representatives of indigenous peoples from more than 20 countries are participating in the gathering, convened by the OAS Permanent Council¹s working group that is preparing the draft American Declaration.

Welcoming delegates after a ceremonial invocation by a Native American leader, the Assistant Secretary General noted that indigenous leaders and organizations are finding the OAS increasingly a forum where they can present their issues and take part in discussion and analysis while learning more about the realities of other indigenous peoples in the Americas.

He cited as another example of progress the joint effort towards new conceptions or legal definitions to deal with outmoded concepts. Einaudi said, We have seen how such concepts as the nature of ownership of indigenous lands or the concept of self determination were discussed and reviewed, with new and creative proposals introduced into the discussion‹providing platforms for agreement, to allay fears or misunderstanding.

For his part, Héctor Huertas, of the Cuna People of Panama, stressed the need for the search for consensus to include as well that between indigenous peoples and states. He stressed that for this to occur, the full and active participation of indigenous peoples is crucial at every step of the process.

Noting the aim of rights recognized in the Declaration is to help usher in a new era in relations between indigenous peoples and the state, Huertas suggested that each member state submit a report to the Working Group before of the next meeting, detailing steps taken to engage in national consultations with indigenous peoples.

Meanwhile, the Working Group Chairman, Peru¹s Ambassador to the OAS Eduardo Ferrero Costa, hailed the round of negotiations to seek consensus on the Declaration as a unique experience in the history of hemispheric negotiations. Ambassador Ferrero Costa identified as a special feature of the process the ongoing, active participation by indigenous peoples.

The Chairman also spoke about steps the Working Group has taken to ensure effective and continued participation by representatives of indigenous people and for the process to remain transparent.

During their three-day meeting, the delegates are considering among other issues the question of cultural identity, organizational and political rights and labor rights as well as health as included in the Draft American Declaration.

Press Releases
Reference: E-216/03
 

Working Group on Indigenous People
Working Group on Indigenous Peoples
Department of Public Information
17th St. & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20006

Telephone: (202) 458-6824 Fax: (202) 458-6421 E-Mail: pi@oas.org
Fotos: Roberto Ribeiro - OEA
 

 

OAS DOCUMENTS
First Meeting ~ November 10-12, 2003

Organization of American States

Note from the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the "Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples"- CP/doc. 2878/07 corr. 1

Consolidated text of the draft declaration prepared by the Chair of the Working Group GT/DADIN/doc.139/03

Proposal on the participation of the representatives of indigenous peoples in the initial meeting of negotiations in the quest for points of consensus (Document presented by the Chair of the Working Group) GT/DADIN/doc.140/03 rev. 1

Draft agenda Initial Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus GT/DADIN/doc.144/03 rev. 2

Proposed amendment to the articles in Section I of the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (First and second work sessions: 10 November 2003) GT/DADIN/doc.150/03 rev. 2

Results of the negotiations regarding Articles I to X of the Draft Declaration (Updated at the end of the fourth working session: November 11, 2003) GT/DADIN/doc. 151/03 rev. 1

List of Participants GT/DADIN/doc.152/03

Declaração do Caucus dos Povos Indígenas (Apresentada pela senhora Azelene Kaingang na sessão de encerramento da reunião em 12 de novembro de 2003) (verbatim) GT/DADIN/INF.17/03

Member States Addresses GT/DADIN/doc.154/03 rev. 1 (verbatim)

Report of the Chair GT/DADIN/doc. 155/03 rev. 1

OAS VIDEOS ON DEMAND

Organization of American States

Working Group
to Prepare the Draft American Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous People

Initial meeting of negotiations in the quest for points of consensus
 

Remarks by the Assistant Secretary General
of the OAS, Ambassador Luigi R. Einaudi
12'06"   Original language Spanish
Prayer by a representative of the indigenous peoples
4'47"   Original language English
Remarks by a representative of the indigenous peoples
14'44"   Original language Spanish
Remarks by the Chair of the Working Group, Ambassador Eduardo Ferrero Costa
14'   Original language Spanish
FIRST WORK SESSION:Section One: Scope of Application
1'58   Original language Spanish
SECOND WORK SESSION: Section Two: Human Rights
2'55"   Original language Spanish
THIRD WORK SESSION:Section Three: Cultural Identity
2 h 46'   Original language Spanish
FOURTH WORK SESSION:Section Three:Cultural Identity
2 h 45'   Original language Spanish
FIFTH WORK SESSION:Section Four:Organizational and Political Rights
1 h 5'   Original language Spanish
SIXTH WORK SESSION:Section Four:Organizational and Political Rights
1 h   Original language Spanish
Headquarters
Washington DC
November 10, 2003 - 9.00 AM

 

INITIAL MEETING OF NEGOTIATIONS IN THE QUEST FOR POINTS OF CONSENSUS ON THE AMERICAN DECLARATION

The Initial Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus on the American Declaration will be held on November 10 - 12, 2003 at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. The dates have been changed from the original resolution. Further information will be made available closer to this Special Session.

Pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1919 (XXXIII-O/03), adopted by the General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, which reaffirms that the adoption of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is an OAS priority, the first round of negotiations will commence in October, 2003. The first meeting in this round will take place on October 15 -17 at OAS Headquarters, in Washington, D. C., with the participation of member states and Indigenous experts.

The negotiations in the quest for consensus will begin with the Consolidated Text put together by Ambassador Eduardo Ferrero Costa, Permanent Representative of Peru to the OAS, the Chair of the Working Group (GT/DADIN/doc.139/03) and with consideration of the Draft Declaration presented by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CP/doc.2878/97 corr. 1), as well as the compilation of the proposals put forward by the member states, the representatives of indigenous peoples, specialized agencies, and other institutions, which the General Secretariat will distribute in due course.

In order to ensure appropriate participation by indigenous peoples and to fulfill the mandates contained in resolution AG/RES. 1919, the Chair of the Working Group proposes the following participation mechanism for the start of this first round of negotiations aimed at seeking points of consensus on the American Declaration.

1. The first meeting in this round will take place on October 15-17, 2003, at OAS Headquarters, in Washington, D. C., with the participation of member states and indigenous experts.

2. The representatives of the indigenous peoples in each member state of the Organization will appoint an indigenous expert to take part in the aforementioned meeting.

3. The travel and per diem expenses of the indigenous experts proposed by the indigenous peoples in each country will be defrayed by the “Specific Fund to Support the Elaboration of the American Declaration,” following approval by the members of the Selection Board, pursuant to the provisions of Permanent Council resolution CP/RES. 817 (1319/02) of May 8, 2002. The per diem will include two days prior to the meeting to allow for consultations among the indigenous experts.

4.The meeting’s sessions will be public and will acknowledge the right of indigenous experts to express their views on each of the articles in the Draft American Declaration, in accordance with the established schedule for these meetings.

5. The negotiations in the quest for consensus will begin with the consolidated text put together by the Chair of the Working Group (GT/DADIN/doc.139/03) and with consideration of the Draft Declaration presented by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CP/doc.2878/97 corr. 1), as well as the compilation of the proposals put forward by the member states, the representatives of indigenous peoples, specialized agencies, and other institutions, which the General Secretariat will distribute in due course.

6. The Working Group will hold a Special Meeting in the last week of February 2004, with the participation of the representatives of indigenous peoples in order to continue this process.


Indian Law Resource Center
OAS Working Group 2003
Complete information for Participation
in the first Negotiation Meeting

 

Index of Draft American Declaration | History | Proposed American Declaration | Working Document Comparing Proposed Declaration | Dialogue 2001 | Journey to the Summit | Third Summit of the Americas 2001 | Dialogue 2002 | Dialogue 2003 | Negotiations with Indigenous Representatives 2003 | Second Meeting of Negotiations 2004 | Third Meeting of Negotiations 2004 | Consolidated Text of Draft Declaration | Interactive Version of Consolidated Text

Draft American Declaration
 


Return to Home Page
S I T E   M A P M A P A   D E L   S I T I O


Copyright Natalie Drache 1999