With the sound of Andean indigenous music echoing throughout the General Assembly Hall, the 12th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues opened today.
The two-week conference will discuss the issues of culture, education and health with a special focus on youth, indigenous groups in Africa and the importance of strengthening ties with international financial institutions.
In his opening statement, the newly elected Chair of the Permanent Forum, Paul Kanyinke Sena, stressed that health and healing for indigenous people includes not only access without discrimination to social and health services, but also connections with family, land and language, as well as access to traditional plants, animals and minerals.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated in his message to the Permanent Forum that “we must have a better understanding of the views and values of indigenous peoples by engaging them in decision-making and providing a platform for issues affecting their lives and livelihoods.”
As part of the activities held during the Permanent Forum, approximately 70 side events are expected to take place during the two-week session, organized by Member States, United Nations entities, other intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum and other stakeholders.
A number of events are focusing on indigenous youth and indigenous persons with disabilities, as well as on violence against indigenous women. Several training sessions will take place, including on effective and meaningful participation in the Permanent Forum and on special procedures dealing with human rights violations. Issues relating to business practices and extractive industries on indigenous lands and territories also remain in the spotlight.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is convening two side events, with a number of Member States and UN system partners, which will focus on the launch of a report on violence against indigenous girls, adolescents and young women, led by UNICEF, as well as provide an update on the UN Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership (UNIPP), an interagency initiative launched in 2012.
The ILO, as host of the UNIPP Technical Secretariat, will provide an update on the implementation of six joint country programmes and one regional programme in Southeast Asia which features active participation of indigenous peoples, governments and the UN Country teams. These projects were funded by the Governments of Finland and Denmark.
Later this week, under the human rights agenda item, ILO’s Senior Specialist on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Issues, Albert Kwokwo Barume, will deliver a statement that highlights the recurrent demands and strong voices calling for a wide ratification of ILO Convention 169. Convention 169 is seen as an enabling instrument for an effective implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and relevant national laws or policies at the country level.
Mr. Barume will also relay the ILO Director-General’s strong and clear support for indigenous peoples given their high risks for unequal access to rights, social exclusion, and underscore the ILO’s continued support for its unique programme on indigenous peoples, known as PRO 169, which is operational in more than twenty countries.
With the ceremonial sound of Andean indigenous music echoing throughout the General Assembly Hall, the 12th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was opened today.
