WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/

UN PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.

21 April - 2 May, 2008

Special theme:  Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges

_____________________________________________________________

http://www.indigenouswomensforum.org/programs/framework.html

INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S FORUM - FIMI

FIMI is a network of strong Indigenous women leaders from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, whose purpose is to strengthen Indigenous women's networks, increase their participation and visibility in the international arena, and build capacity.

Individual Human Rights of Indigenous Women Should Be Understood Within the Context of Collective Rights.

The fight for Indigenous women's rights cannot be separated from the struggles of Indigenous Peoples. The creation of an Indigenous women's identity requires equilibrium between her position within the collectivity of her people and her individuality as a woman. Moreover, unless social exclusion and discrimination of Indigenous Peoples is ended it will be impossible to ensure the specific rights of Indigenous women.

FIMI relies on two foundational principles of the human rights framework as a basis for the rights of Indigenous women: the universality and the indivisibility of rights. The universality of human rights implies that every woman in the world is entitled to exercise the full range of her rights, without exceptions based on culture, tradition, or religion. At the same time, FIMI believes that the indivisibility of human rights means that for Indigenous women, exercising our rights both as Indigenous Peoples and as women depends on securing the recognition of our collective rights. It is also important to recognize that Indigenous women commonly experience human rights violations at the crossroads of their individual and collective identities. Therefore, it is critical to continue working on the concept of self-determination for Indigenous Peoples from the perspective of Indigenous women, which means developing the capacity of women, especially young women, to exercise control with respect to their bodies, their families, and their communities, and to participate fully and effectively in the decision-making, definition, and implementation of plans, projects and programs that affect them.

_____________________________________________________________

Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/ClimateChangeIP.aspx

While climate change affects everyone, it will probably hit the most vulnerable groups hardest. Indigenous peoples, according to the UN Development Group Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples Issues, are among the first to face direct adverse consequences of climate change, partly owing to their close relationship with the environment and its resources.

The Permanent Forum, which runs from 21 April to 2 May, brings together more than 1,000 indigenous representatives, senior UN officials, and representatives of governments, civil society and academia to address the theme: Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges.

Emerging evidence suggests that the livelihoods and cultural identities of the more than 370 million indigenous peoples of North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific are already under threat.

“Climate Change has really taken a toll on our traditional way of life and affected the source of livelihood of the Boro Indigenous people in Northeast India,” said Dharmodip Basumatary from the Boro community, who is currently an indigenous fellow with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva.

“Our age-old cultivation method, which entirely depends on rainfall, has been suffering due to changing weather patterns and a decrease of forest land,” he added.

Indigenous peoples from different parts of the world - whether in industrialized or developing countries – echo concerns about the impact of climate change in the survival of their communities.

“The Samburu and Maasai peoples are the first communities to face and feel the effects of climate change, due to our closeness with the environment and distinct ways of livelihood that depend on access to land, natural resources and sustainable development. We face marginalization, forced adaptation and losing our identities,” said Jane Naini Meriwas from the Maasai community in Kenya, who is also an indigenous fellow with OHCHR..

“Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region are home to some of the best-managed indigenous forestlands, wild rice beds, and fisheries in the United States, all of which hang in the balance due to global climate change,” said Doug Kiel, another OHCHR indigenous fellow, from the Oneida tribe of Indians in the United States.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples establishes the right of indigenous peoples to the conservation and protection of the environment of their lands and resources. The rights recognized in the Declaration constitute the “minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.”

“As climate change will inevitably affect the enjoyment of human rights, safeguarding of human rights should be a key consideration in efforts to address the impact of climate change,” said Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, when she addressed the Bali Conference on Climate Change last December.

“The human rights approach compels us to look at the people whose lives are most adversely affected, and to urge governments to integrate their human rights obligations into policies and programs to deal with the climate change as well as to the international community to assist in this process,” she added.

================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.