Background
The national Constitution of Indonesia recognises the cultural diversity of the country and provides for the respect for the cultural identity of indigenous communities and the recognition of their rights. In particular, Article 18B.2 of the Constitution states that “[t]he State recognises and respects traditional communities along with their traditional customary rights as long as these remain in existence and are in accordance with the societal development and the principles of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and shall be regulated by law”.
Efforts to engage with indigenous peoples have been made in the context of climate change policies. Since majority of indigenous peoples living in Indonesia are forests dwellers whose livelihoods, cultures and traditions are strongly depended on forests, IP’s concerns need to be taken into account in climate change mitigation programmes, particularly in the Reducing Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation (REDD+) programmes, currently implemented by the Government of Indonesia, UN agencies, World Bank and others. REDD+ is essentially a broad set of policies to prevent or slow deforestation and degradation, and increase forest carbon stocks.
As the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is nearing, the UN has started processes of preparatory thinking and consultations for the establishment of the Post-2015 development framework, with the aim of allowing for lessons to be learnt from the MDGs and to ensure a much more broad-based and participatory process compared with when the MDGs were drawn up in 2001.In the post-2015 framework, human rights, equity, justice must be placed firmly at the centre of development. And in order to prevent uneven and inequitable development outcomes for IPs, the post-2015 development framework needs be formulated and implemented with their participation, in line with UN Common Understanding on the human rights-based approach to Development Cooperation, which emphasizes that all programmes of development co-operation, policies and technical assistance should further the realisation of human rights as laid in international human rights instruments.
Objectives
The workshop aims to:
- Provide a space for dialogue concerning indigenous peoples’ issues in Indonesia and to identify the progresses and opportunities for legislative and policy reforms, in view of the existing international guidelines and national policy and legal instruments;
- Facilitate knowledge sharing and discussions on identifying on-going initiatives, lessons learned, action priorities and main challenges, to promote and to protect indigenous peoples’ rights, including in the framework of the REDD+ initiatives;
- Brief the participants and brainstorm ideas for building synergies on the upcoming processes for the establishment of the Post-2015 Global Development Framework, facilitated by the President SBY at the UN, as well as for the preparations for the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples;
- Promote mutual understanding, dialogue, and collaboration among stakeholders; and
- Introduce the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Partnership, specifically its Southeast Asia Regional Programme and to identify opportunities for partnership building and collaborative actions.
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