The ninth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues opened Monday April 19, 2010 with remarks from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, which focused on the session’s special theme- “Culture & Identity”. The Secretary General called on Member States to promote development while respecting indigenous rights and cultures.
“Slowly but surely, people are coming to understand that the well-being and sustainability of indigenous peoples are matters that concern us all. Diversity is a strength — in cultures and in languages, just as it is in ecosystems,” the Secretary General said. “And we need development that allows indigenous peoples to exercise their right to self-determination through participation in decision-making on an equal basis,” he added.
The Secretary-General said that the loss of irreplaceable cultural practices and means of expression “make us poorer, wherever our roots may lie.”
The Secretary General’s comment was followed later in the day by an announcement by New Zealand’s Minister of Maori Affairs, Pita Sharples, that the Government would be reversing it’s stance on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The UNDRIP was adopted by the General Assembly in September of 2007; New Zealand was one of 4 Member States to vote against the passing of the UNDRIP, along with Australia, Canada, and the United States. Australia has also reversed it’s opposition and now endorses the Declaration.
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, said the Permanent Forum had convened at a time of “extraordinary progress” and its work had influenced the agendas of other organizations and financial institutions — a “ripple effect” which testified to the Forum’s ability to change awareness levels.
For more information on the session opening, please click here.
The ninth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues opened Monday April 19, 2010 with remarks from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, which focused on the session’s special theme- “Culture & Identity”. The Secretary General called on Member States to promote development while respecting indigenous rights and cultures.
“Slowly but surely, people are coming to understand that the well-being and sustainability of indigenous peoples are matters that concern us all. Diversity is a strength — in cultures and in languages, just as it is in ecosystems,” the Secretary General said. “And we need development that allows indigenous peoples to exercise their right to self-determination through participation in decision-making on an equal basis,” he added.
The Secretary-General said that the loss of irreplaceable cultural practices and means of expression “make us poorer, wherever our roots may lie.”
The Secretary General’s comment was followed later in the day by an announcement by New Zealand’s Minister of Maori Affairs, Pita Sharples, that the Government would be reversing it’s stance on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The UNDRIP was adopted by the General Assembly in September of 2007; New Zealand was one of 4 Member States to vote against the passing of the UNDRIP, along with Australia, Canada, and the United States. Australia has also reversed it’s opposition and now endorses the Declaration.
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, said the Permanent Forum had convened at a time of “extraordinary progress” and its work had influenced the agendas of other organizations and financial institutions — a “ripple effect” which testified to the Forum’s ability to change awareness levels.
For more information on the session opening, please click here.