HUNGER STRIKE BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' REPRESENTATIVES AT
THE UNITED NATIONS! |
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| Today, November 29th, 2004, at 11 am, we, Indigenous Peoples' delegates, declare a hunger strike and spiritual fast inside the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva, during this 3rd week of the 10th session of the Intersessional Working Group on the United Nations Draft Declaration for the Rights on Indigenous Peoples. | ||
| We, Indigenous peoples' delegates from different countries, undertake this action, with the support and solidarity of Indigenous Peoples and organizations from around the world, to call the world’s attention to the continued attempts by some states, as well as this UN process itself, to weaken and undermine the Draft Declaration developed in the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations and adopted by the UN Subcommission for the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1994. The Sub Commission text has also been endorsed and supported by hundreds of Indigenous Peoples and organizations around the world as the minimum standard required for the recognition and protection of Indigenous Peoples' rights internationally. We delegates who will undertake the hunger strike, along with the undersigned Indigenous Peoples, organizations, tribal governments, Nations, communities and Networks, call for the Sub Commission text of the Declaration to be sent back to the UN Commission on Human Rights with the message that in 10 years, proposals by States to weaken or amend the text have not gained the consensus of the Working Group participants, which include both states and Indigenous Peoples. Mr. Luis Chavez, the Chairman Rapporteur of the Working Group should report this reality and not present a “consolidated text” as if it was “close to consensus.” The Commission on Human Rights must establish a process that does not provide a handful of States an opportunity to weaken the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. The process also must take into account the voices of the great numbers of Indigenous Peoples from all parts of the world. We will not allow our rights to be negotiated, compromised or diminished in this UN process, which was initiated more than 20 years ago by Indigenous Peoples. The United Nations itself says that human rights are inherent and inalienable, and must be applied to all Peoples without discrimination. We request that the Secretariat of this session immediately inform the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the High Commissioner herself of this action. We also request that the Secretariat arrange for the hunger strikers to be able remain in the UN during the entire week of the session. Indigenous delegates participating in the hunger strike inside the United Nations include: Adelard Blackman, Buffalo River Dene Nation, Canada ;
For more information in Geneva contact: Andrea Carmen (English, Spanish), IITC, 076 546 04 21 Cyril Schönbächler
(French, English), IndiGeneva, 078 716 52 39 or 022 733 28 73 Anne-Marie Cruz (French, English, Spanish), IndiGeneva, 076 450 83 18 Africa Indigenous Peoples African Coordinating Committee (IPACC) Argentina Asociación
Mapuche los Toldos Argentina/Bolivia/Chile/Peru Parlamento del Pueblo Kullana Aymara Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Nations Coalition Asia Alifurus in Maluku (Moluccas) Bolivia Confederación Sindical Única
de Trabajadores campesinos de Bolivia (CSUTCB) Canada Buffalo River Dene Nation Chile Consejo de Todas las Tierras Colombia Akuaipa Waimakat
(Asociación de Derechos Humanos Wayuu de la
Guajira) Ecuador Instituto Cientifico de Culturas Indigenas (Amawta Runakunapak Yachay) French Guyana Fédération des Organisations autochtones de Guyane (FOAG), membre de la COICA Guatemala Comite Campesina del Altiplano (CCDA) Kenya Maimyoito Pastoralist Intgegrated Organization Mexico Academia Mexicana de Derechos Humanos Morroco Tamaynut (Amazigh Peoples) Pacific Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust (Aotearoa/New Zealand) Panama Asociación
Nabguana Abya Yala Nexus Multi-regional Coordinadora Indígena
de la Cuenca Amazonica (COICA)
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created 7 december 2004, by louve14 "We
will be known by the tracks
we leave behind."
Dakota Proverb