Athili Anthony Sapriina

Tribal Link is proud to announce the participation of our colleague Athili Anthony Sapriina as the first indigenous person to attend the Human Rights Advocacy Program at Columbia University in New York. The program began on August 29,2011 and will run until December 13, 2011. Tribal Link’s role in this historic event is as a sponsor and mentor while Sapriina attends the program. The success of Athili Anthony Sapriina is part of Tribal Link’s overall mission.

Tribal Link Director Pamela Kraft and Athili, an indigenous journalist from Nagaland (Northeast India),  first met in 2008 at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) at UN Headquarters in New York.  In 2009, Athili participated in Tribal Link’s Project Access, which supports indigenous peoples’ participation in a training program that prepares indigenous participants to engage in the Forum where decisions are being made that affect their rights, cultures, and livelihoods. Throughout the training, Athili demonstrated excellent leadership skills and the capacity to work collectively. During this time, he expressed a deep interest in furthering his education and training as a journalist and advocate for his people — the Naga in Nagaland –  and we encouraged him to pursue that goal. We that saw his talent as a writer and his strong desire to use that talent had great potential to effect change in the world. Athili applied to a number of institutions around the world with a particular interest in the  Human Rights Advocacy Program (HRAP) of the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) at Columbia University.

HRAP Participants 2011

It’s now 2011, and Athili Sapriina has made history. Not only is he one of 13 advocates chosen from an application pool of over 280 from 64 countries, he will be the first indigenous person to attended the HRAP. The four-month program—with an academic, skill-building, and networking curriculum—is located in New York City —an enormous geographical and social distance from Sapriina’s home of Nagaland in North East India.

He has spent over a decade of his life working at regional, national, and international levels in the media with HIV/AIDS, indigenous peoples’ rights, and peace. He was once recorded saying, “I’ve had so many experiences in my life, but it is meaningless if I cannot document them from the larger society to digest, draw from, and possibly act…” Ms. Kraft has said, “He is a natural journalist. He has words that must be spoken and stories that must be told…stories that can be understood across the globe.” HRAP Press Release (116)

“Indigenous Peoples: A Decade for Action and Dignity”. Poster of the Second International Decade of The World's Indigenous People 2010-2015; copywrite 2001 Carlos Jacanamijoy

Tuesday August 9th is the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. This year’s commemoration will be held in the Economic and Social Council Chamber of UN Headquarters in New York and will feature a panel discussion “Indigenous designs: Celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own culture”, followed by a screening of the film “Harmony of culture and nature”. Co-sponsors of the commemorative activities are the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Public Information and the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon & NGO Indigenous Committee Chair Roberto Mucaro Borrero, Taino, at the 2010 commemoration

All are invited to attend. For registration, please email aragonm@un.org with your name, affiliation, and contact information.

NOTE: This Thursday August 4th is deadline for registration.

Today the Government of Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. John McNee met with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Joseph Deiss, to advise him of Canada’s official endorsement of the UNDRIP.

The Government of Canada released this statement of support for the UNDRIP:

Today, Canada joins other countries in supporting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In doing so, Canada reaffirms its commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples at home and abroad.

The Government of Canada would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal men and women who played an important role in the development of this Declaration.

The Declaration is an aspirational document which speaks to the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, taking into account their specific cultural, social and economic circumstances.

Although the Declaration is a non-legally binding document that does not reflect customary international law nor change Canadian laws, our endorsement gives us the opportunity to reiterate our commitment to continue working in partnership with Aboriginal peoples in creating a better Canada.

Under this government, there has been a shift in Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, exemplified by the Prime Minister’s historic apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools, the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the apology for relocation of Inuit families to the High Arctic and the honouring of Métis veterans at Juno Beach.

These events charted a new path for this country as a whole, one marked by hope and reconciliation and focused on cherishing the richness and depth of diverse Aboriginal cultures.

Canada continues to make exemplary progress and build on its positive relationship with Aboriginal peoples throughout the country, a relationship based on good faith, partnership and mutual respect.

The Government’s vision is a future in which Aboriginal families and communities are healthy, safe, self-sufficient and prosperous within a Canada where people make their own decisions, manage their own affairs and make strong contributions to the country as a whole.

The Government has shown strong leadership by protecting the rights of Aboriginal people in Canada. The amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, the proposed Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act and the proposed legislation concerning matrimonial real property rights on reserve are just a few recent examples.

This government has also taken concrete and viable actions in important areas such as education, skills development, economic development, employment, health care, housing and access to safe drinking water. These are part of a continuing agenda focused on real results with willing and able partners.

At the international level Canada has been a strong voice for the protection of human rights. Canada is party to numerous United Nations human rights conventions which give expression to this commitment.

Canada has a constructive and far-reaching international development program that helps to improve the situation of Indigenous peoples in many parts of the world. Canada’s active involvement abroad, coupled with its productive partnership with Aboriginal Canadians, is having a real impact in advancing indigenous rights and freedoms, at home and abroad.

In 2007, at the time of the vote during the United Nations General Assembly, and since, Canada placed on record its concerns with various provisions of the Declaration, including provisions dealing with lands, territories and resources; free, prior and informed consent when used as a veto; self-government without recognition of the importance of negotiations; intellectual property; military issues; and the need to achieve an appropriate balance between the rights and obligations of Indigenous peoples, States and third parties. These concerns are well known and remain. However, we have since listened to Aboriginal leaders who have urged Canada to endorse the Declaration and we have also learned from the experience of other countries. We are now confident that Canada can interpret the principles expressed in the Declaration in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution and legal framework.

Aboriginal and treaty rights are protected in Canada through a unique framework. These rights are enshrined in our Constitution, including our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and are complemented by practical policies that adapt to our evolving reality. This framework will continue to be the cornerstone of our efforts to promote and protect the rights of Aboriginal Canadians.

The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were a defining moment for Canada. The Games instilled a tremendous sense of pride in being Canadian and highlighted to the world the extent to which Aboriginal peoples and their cultures contribute to Canada’s uniqueness as a nation. The unprecedented involvement of the Four Host First Nations and Aboriginal peoples from across the nation set a benchmark for how we can work together to achieve great success.

In endorsing the Declaration, Canada reaffirms its commitment to build on a positive and productive relationship with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to improve the well-being of Aboriginal Canadians, based on our shared history, respect, and a desire to move forward together.

November 12, 2010

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday September 13, by a majority of 144 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine).

Since its adoption, Australia and New Zealand have reversed their positions and now endorse the Declaration. Colombia and Samoa have also reversed their positions and indicated their support for the Declaration. In March 2010, the Government of Canada announced it would take steps to endorse the UN Declaration and, in April 2010, the United States indicated that it will also review its position regarding the Declaration.

Click here to view the embedded video.

By Adrian Eisenhower

I arrived a few nights ago to Johannesburg, South Africa. In the airport I connected with two colleagues, John and Daniel. This was the first time I met either of them. John is a native of the states and has spent a good deal of time in Africa and South America. Daniel is of the Maasia tribe in Kenya and works with the Maasia outreach organization, SIMOO.

For the next month and a half, the three of us will travel from here to Kenya. This passage has been designed and funded by Tribal Link and the route coordinated with the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), a nerve center of over 155 Africa indigenous people’s organizations. IPACC is also connecting us with indigenous communities as we travel north. Our progress will be thoroughly documented and online dispatches will be sent to Tribal Link- videos and stills will be posted here on Tribal Link’s website through out the weeks to come.

At this early juncture, much remains a mystery. My first full day in South Africa was used mostly in preparation. The three of us, guided by GPS, drove around both Jo’burg and the capital city of Pretoria in search of supplies for the field.

The truck, though not the perfect conveyance for our passage, may be adequate. Both John and Daniel are confident that it will arrive us safely to the rural communities where we are bound. I await some evidence before I form an opinion. Later today we will likely head to Botswana and I will soon find out if we, as well as the Colt, are ready for whatever we have ahead.

Adrian Eisenhower is a young photographer and journalist residing in New York. He currently teaches studio art and photography at the Masters School.

Tribal Link’s Indigenous Voices program highlights the stories of indigenous peoples worldwide. Our goal is to outreach these stories to a wider audience. It is important to hear about the needs and concerns of indigenous peoples in order to better support their efforts to preserve their communities and their cultures. Indigenous Voices began with informal interviews with participants in our Project Access program who were funded to attend the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues each Spring at UN Headquarters in New York. We are now broadening the circle to begin to interview indigenous representatives of communities worldwide by traveling directly to their communities. An initial cluster of consultations will be conducted in countries throughout southern & east Africa.

World Peace & Prayer Day is next Monday, June 21^st , the day of the Summer Solstice. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, leader of the Lakota Dakota Nakota Oyate, the great Sioux nation, is calling all nations to prayer of any kind on June 21 in an effort to return the planet to balance, the people to spirit.

World Peace and Prayer Day was founded in 1996 in the Black Hills of South Dakota by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Sioux Nation. Chief Looking Horse was led by a vision to honor sacred sites and to invite all nations and all faiths to do the same, to heal our relationship with our mother, the Earth. World Peace and Prayer Day is held annually on the summer solstice, a powerful day to pray for peace among all living beings.

In a message to the people of the world, Chief Arvol Looking Horse says, “Our vision is for Peoples of all continents to come together as ONE at their Sacred Sites to pray, meditate, and commune with one another, on this day, thus promoting an energy shift to heal our Mother Earth to achieve a united consciousness toward attaining Peace” (Read Chief Looking Horse’s entire message.)

Chief Arvol Looking Horse will be celebrating World Peace and Prayer Day at Burgundy Brook Farm in Palmer, MA. Read more about the events happening over the course of this weekend on Burgundy Brook Farm. Events are open to the public. For more information visit their website.

Click here to see a list of official gatherings around the world.

Two of the official gatherings are being hosted by Tribal Link colleagues: United Confederation of Taino People in Bronx, NY on Sunday June 20^th & the Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources in Woodstock, NY on Monday June 21^st. Please click on their names to read about their events or visit Tribal Link’s calendar for more details.

Click here to read an article with Chief Arvol Looking Horse.

Click here to view the embedded video.

John Halpern speaks to director James Cameron about his film Avatar at a special screening co-sponsored by Tribal Link.

The event was also co-sponsored by the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Conservation International, and UNDP/GEF’s Small Grants Programme. In attendance were hundreds of indigenous representatives who have traveled to New York to attend the Ninth Session of the UNPFII at UN Headquarters (April 19-30, 2010).

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Erin Hinkle, 646-942-6224, hinkle.e@gmail.com

New York, NY (April 22, 2010) – As part of its program for the Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII- April 19-30, 2010), Tribal Link Foundation in association with the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Conservation International, and UNDP/Global Environmental Facility’s Small Grants Programme will co-sponsor a special screening of James Cameron’s Academy Award-Winning film Avatar. Mr. Cameron will be present at the screening, which will be held on Saturday April 24, 2010 at New York City’s Director’s Guild Theater.

Mr. Cameron will introduce Avatar and hold a discussion with Permanent Forum Chairperson Carlos Mamani Condori and prominent indigenous journalists after the screening.  Attendees of the event will primarily consist of indigenous representatives from around the world who are participating in the PFII.

As reflected in a recent front-page article in the New York Times, Mr. Cameron has used Avatar as a platform to speak about vital environmental issues, as well as visit indigenous communities to learn about their experiences, many of which parallel the story told in his film.

“James Cameron is giving a high-profile voice to indigenous peoples as stewards of their ancestral lands—lands that greatly benefit the modern world,” says Pamela Kraft, executive director of Tribal Link.  “Preserving traditional knowledge of indigenous lands and their biodiversity is key to developing solutions to climate change and conservation issues.”

In addition to co-sponsoring the Avatar screening, Tribal Link funded nine indigenous participants to attend a Project Development and Fundraising Training Course (held April 14-16, 2010). The training is an advanced-level course for experienced participants in Project Access, an annual Tribal Link initiative that funds 15-20 indigenous representatives to travel to and attend the PFII, and prepares them to effectively participate at the event.

Each participant  in the training course will be highlighted in a video interview that will appear on the Tribal Link Web site (triballink.org) over a two-week period, starting on Earth Day, April 22. The interviews will feature nine participants discussing their work, communities, issues, and experiences working with Tribal Link for the past few years.

For more information about Tribal Link, please contact Pamela Kraft, executive director, at tribal.link@lycos.com or 212-564-3329.

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About Tribal Link

Tribal Link Foundation, Inc. matches the urgent needs of the world’s indigenous populations with the people and resources that can help them.  Tribal Link is a non-governmental organization (NGO) in association with the Department of Public Information (DPI) at the United Nations and in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Since 1993, Tribal Link has been working to support the world’s indigenous peoples by organizing events, forums and hospitality programs that provide enriching cross-cultural exchanges; mobilizing media professionals to publicize issues critical to traditional peoples; coordinating capacity building workshops focusing on indigenous peoples’ participation within the international system; and ensuring that the vital contribution of indigenous spiritual knowledge is included in major UN events.  To learn more, visit triballink.org.

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.

In January, the United Nations released it’s first-ever publication assessing indigenous issues worldwide. The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples gives the most thorough assessment to date of how the world’s approximately 370 million indigenous peoples fare in the areas of education, employment, economic development, human rights, and poverty. Each of the report’s seven chapters, written by independent experts on indigenous issues from all over the world, tackles one of these crucial topics, as well as other emerging issues faced by indigenous communities.

In addition to addressing the issues, the report also offers facts and figures for different regions, which present mostly alarming statistics on violations of human rights of indigenous peoples; lack of recognition of free, prior, and informed consent; respect of their cultural diversity; and right to education.

Although much of what is contained in this extensive report is quite alarming, there is certainly reason to feel optimistic. In her introduction to the report, Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Mrs. Elissavet Stamatopoulou, states the following: “There has been a vigorous and dynamic interface between indigenous peoples—numbering more than 370 million in some 90 countries—the United Nations, an interface which, difficult as it is, has produced at least three results: a.) a new awareness of indigenous peoples’ concerns and human rights; b.) recognition of indigenous peoples’ valuable contribution to humanity’s cultural diversity and heritage, not least through their traditional knowledge; and c.) an awareness of the need to address the issues of indigenous peoples through policies [and] legislation…”

An example the international communities “new awareness of indigenous peoples’ concerns and human rights” is the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in September 2007. There is also a growing recognition of indigenous peoples’ roles as the stewards of some of the world’s most biologically diverse areas and their invaluable traditional knowledge of the biodiversity of these areas. As climate change takes its place as one of the greatest threats to humanity, it is increasingly clear that indigenous peoples’ should be a part of the solutions to developing adaptations and mitigation of this issue.

Indigenous peoples continue to organize amongst themselves to advocate for their rights and increase awareness within their communities of their rights.

The full-length version of The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples can be found on the website of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is the result of a collaborative effort, organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.