BeFriending Creation
U.S., Canada, and others deny indigenous rights worldwide
This is not the article I planned to write. I expected to be telling you about the achievement of Indigenous Peoples in developing from small, scattered, isolated groups to a strong, interconnected network that can speak with one voice on issues affecting them, and their success at the UN in having their rights declared. Now I can only tell part of that story.
On November 28, 2006, a decades-long effort to formally establish the rights of the world's indigenous peoples by means of a UN Declaration was defeated, perhaps for all time. The United States, Canada, Australia, and a few other nation states prevented the Declaration from being sent to the General Assembly for adoption, by means of a procedural loophole.
In the Third Committee, the body that would have to vote on the Declaration before it went to the GA, there were more than enough votes in favor of the Declaration to have it pass. However, Namibia was maneuvered by the U.S. and its friends into putting forward a "no action" resolution, which procedurally had to be voted on before the Declaration itself could be considered. The African nations have a "unity" agreement to vote in a bloc, and they followed Namibia's lead. Other nations that had planned to vote for the Declaration abstained, the "no action" resolution passed, and the Declaration never even came up for a vote. Technically, the vote has been postponed, but people close to the negotiations believe the Declaration has been done in.
Indigenous peoples around the world are feeling betrayed and bitter. Many NGOs, including Amnesty International and the Canadian Friends Service Committee, have issued statements censuring what happened in the Third Committee.
Background
For decades, outside the limited spotlight of the major media, Indigenous groups have been collaborating and finding common cause. On July 28, 2000, after years of work, a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) was established at the UN. It was a triumph. They held their first session in May of 2002.
Although the PFII doesn't have a vote in UN proceedings, they do have a voice. Their mandate is to "discuss indigenous issues … relating to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights," through ECOSOC, by "provid(ing) expert advice and recommendations on indigenous issues to the UN system..." You can find more information about the PFII and how it is composed, including bios of appointees, at < www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/members.html>.
The Declaration discussed above was over 20 years in the making and was elaborated with full and democratic participation of all parties concerned. The Declaration claimed no new rights; it just underlined specifically that Indigenous Peoples are entitled to the same respect and fairness as everyone else.
This year a draft was finally brought to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, whose recommendation was needed before it could be brought to the UN as a whole. In Geneva, Canada, previously a leader in drafting the document but now under a new administration with a different point of view, opposed the draft. Canada was encouraged in this by the U.S. and Australia (countries not on the Council).
After a major struggle, the Council approved the draft Declaration on June 29, 2006. It came before the Third Committee this fall and would have gone straight to the General Assembly, where approval was expected—if a vote had been permitted.
The importance of the Declaration and the voice of Indigenous Peoples
The Declaration is an aspira-tional human rights instrument, not a binding document, but such Declarations have great value. They establish a framework for resolving issues and achieving common objectives. The Declaration on the Rights of Children is an example. It is referred to frequently and held up as an agreed goal for all countries, which strengthens the international human rights system as a whole.
The Indigenous Peoples' voice at the UN is often the only one that speaks what my heart wants to hear. I consistently find them forthright and in true harmony with the concerns of QEW. They are not afraid to mention the Spirit, even in the halls of the UN, and they profess unity with nature at every turn. Please judge for yourself. Here is a statement that Tom Goldtooth, of the Indigenous Environmental Network/International Indian Treaty Council, and Joji Carino, of the Tebtebba Foundation (based in the Philippines) made last May:
Indigenous Peoples are here representing the spirit, hearts and minds of many not speaking here. Our extended family includes our Mother Earth, Father Sky, and our brothers and sisters—the animal, fish, bird and plant life. We all bear the impacts of unsustainable economic and energy growth and obscene corporate greed. We have accepted the responsibility designated by our prophecies to tell the world that we must live in peace and harmony and ensure balance with the sacredness of our Mother Earth and Father Sky. A growing body of Western scientific evidence now confirms what indigenous peoples have expressed for a long time: life as we know it is in danger.
The Indigenous Peoples at the UN are speaking for themselves and for our Earth, and they know Friends to be their allies.
When he got back from Geneva last summer, Tom Goldtooth sent me a postcard picturing a statue near the UN of a man beating a sword into a plowshare. Tom wrote that during the struggle for the draft Declaration at the Human Rights Council sessions, he thought of the long-time Quaker witness for truth, equality, and peace, and he was grateful for our steadfastness.
And I am grateful for his.•
