tag:www.imadr.org,2008:/indigenous//35 2008-01-11T04:00:47Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.432 2007-10-05T11:25:21Z 2008-01-11T04:00:47Z

The United Nations General Assembly adop...

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 13 September 2007 after more than two decades of negotiations between governments and indigenous peoples' representatives. The Declaration was approved by a vote of 144 states in favor with 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions. Comments on the adoption of the Declaration by Rodolfo Stavenhagen, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people. Adoption of Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples a historic moment for human rights, UN Expert says The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Dr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, issued the following statement on the occasion of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September: Geneva, 14 September 2007 Indigenous peoples can rejoice following the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration constitutes a fundamental landmark for indigenous peoples, and it represents their important contribution to the construction of the international human rights system. The outcome of more than two decades of negotiations between Member States, representatives of indigenous peoples and human rights organizations, the Declaration reflects a growing international consensus concerning the content of the rights of indigenous peoples, as they have been progressively affirmed in domestic legislation, in international instruments, and in the practice of international human rights bodies. In recent years, indigenous peoples have become key actors in the defense of human rights. Indigenous peoples have made their voice heard both within the States in which they live, at the United Nations and other international fora. The testimonies they have long given of the historical violations of their human rights have impacted upon the conscience of many nations. The Declaration reaffirms that indigenous peoples, both individually and collectively, enjoy all rights already recognized at the international level, and that the special circumstances of their existence as discriminated peoples and long dispossessed of their ancestral resources, demand particular attention by States and by the international community. Indigenous peoples’ ancestral lands and territories constitute the bases of their collective existence, of their cultures and of their spirituality. The Declaration affirms this close relationship, in the framework of their right, as peoples, to self-determination in the framework of the States in which they live. The adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a step forward in the consolidation of international mechanisms for the protection of the human rights of all persons, to which all Members of the Organization are committed. For more information, see Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (external link)]]> tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.431 2007-10-05T11:23:30Z 2007-11-17T03:26:03Z

Over the course of 2006, IMADR’s Latin A...

Over the course of 2006, IMADR’s Latin American base organized and participated in activities to eliminate racism and continue developing modes of conflict resolution for the people of Argentina, particularly aboriginal people. tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/japan/descent//20.306 2007-08-30T08:13:42Z 2008-04-08T06:59:33Z

IMADR is involved in various activities ...

IMADR is involved in various activities for upholding the rights of indigenous peoples. These are targeted at empowering people at the grassroots level through community-level activities. In Guatemala, IMADR has been working with the youth movement to empower indigenous Mayan communities so they can actively participate in the peace process. Through the regional committees, IMADR has supported the hosting of workshops on constructive conflict resolution for the Colla and Mapuche indigenous communities of Argentina and the work of the Vedda community in Sri Lanka. IMADR has also followed closely developments regarding the recently-adopted Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2007), taking part in sessions of the UN Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. IMADR works closely with minority groups amidst the ongoing UN reform process to ensure that indigenous peoples continue to have a voice at the UN. As an organization based in Japan, IMADR works with the Ainu Association of Hokkaido to promote the rights of indigenous peoples in Japan at both domestic and international levels. IMADR also works with the Ainu through the Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as well as with Ryukyuans/Okinawans who have been fighting at the UN for their rights as indigenous people since 1997. tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.394 2007-07-23T05:40:55Z 2007-11-12T06:37:51Z

IMADR works with Youth Movement for Peace (Movimiento de Jovenes Para la Paz, MJP) based in Quetzaltenango to empower indigenous Mayan communities in Solola and San Marcos, rural communities is Guatemala, so they can actively participate in the peace process.

Movimiento de Jovenes Para la Paz, MJP) based in Quetzaltenango to empower indigenous Mayan communities in Solola and San Marcos, rural communities is Guatemala, so they can actively participate in the peace process. This is carried out by increasing awareness of the Peace Agreements and peace process, enhancing the level of basic education available to allow more active participation in all spheres of life and decision-making, and developing youth leadership in the Mayan communities. Since 2002, IMADR has supported the creation of a community radio for Mayan communities, after it was proposed by MJP and the youth in Bocacosta.]]> The home of Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemala saw an end to a 36-year old civil war in December 1996. During the civil war, indigenous peoples suffered the most from human rights violations and massacres. The Peace Agreements guarantee the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, who in Guatemala comprise a a large proportion of the population, but it has not been easy to overcome the discrimination against indigenous peoples having lived through 500 years of oppression after the Spanish invasion of America. Today, many indigenous peoples are fighting poverty and discrimination to build a true democratic, peaceful Guatemalan society. But the execution of the Peace Agreements is slow, and instead activists seeking to reveal the truth of the massacres during the war and promote indigenous peoples' rights are being threatened and murdered for their actions. tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.393 2007-07-23T05:40:37Z 2007-11-14T10:41:46Z

In many places in Argentina, particularly in locations with large indigenous populations, conflict is characterized by self-damaging violence. In the recent past, violence has consistently bred more violence, continuing in a cycle that harms people and dismantles optimism. IMADR’s Latin American Base, located in Argentina, organizes and participates in activities to develop modes of conflict resolution for indigenous people.

In many places in Argentina, particularly in locations with large indigenous populations, conflict is characterized by self-damaging violence. In the recent past, violence has consistently bred more violence, continuing in a cycle that harms people and dismantles optimism. IMADR’s Latin American Base, located in Argentina, organizes and participates in activities to develop modes of conflict resolution for indigenous people. Activities are organized and facilitated together with local partners, and serve to strengthen networks among those local groups and put the decisions and opinions of indigenous peoples first. In coming together to organize and participate in community workshops, indigenous peoples have carved out a space for their self-empowerment, and strengthened the basis for a path forward, toward more constructive forms of conflict resolution. For example, in 2006, a workshop was co-organized with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in the southern city of Bariloche, which is located in an area heavily populated by the Mapuche people. The workshop introduced basic techniques for resolving area conflicts between Mapuche and non-Mapuche peoples, and focused on the participation of community and political leaders. tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.392 2007-07-23T05:40:20Z 2007-11-16T09:22:57Z

IMADR has been monitoring the UN processes on the protection and promotion of indigenous peoples’ rights through its office in Geneva and partner organizations engaged in indigenous peoples’ rights, including the American Indian Law Alliance and the Ainu Association of Hokkaido.

IMADR has been monitoring the UN processes on the protection and promotion of indigenous peoples’ rights through its office in Geneva and partner organizations engaged in indigenous peoples’ rights, including the American Indian Law Alliance and the Ainu Association of Hokkaido. IMADR has taken part in sessions of the UN Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Working Group on Indigenous Populations, and works amidst the ongoing UN reform process to ensure that indigenous peoples continue to have a voice at the UN. The Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York on September 13, 2007. The Declaration has been developed over the last 20 years and was adopted by the UN Subcommission for the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1994, and the Human Rights Council in 2006. It is the result of many years of discussion and negotiation among the state members of the Human Rights Commission, with the active participation of representatives of the world's indigenous peoples, as the minimum standard required for the recognition and protection of indigenous peoples' rights internationally, addressing the historical injustice and continuing discrimination in terms of language, education, self-government, cultural expression, lands, resources and treaty rights.