tag:www.imadr.org,2010:/indigenous//35 2009-05-16T11:08:10Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.imadr.org,2009:/indigenous//35.747 2009-01-08T01:43:48Z 2009-05-16T11:08:10Z

Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, IMADR Director and former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, issued a congratulatory statement on the official recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous people of Japan.

Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, IMADR Director and former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, issued a congratulatory statement on the official recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous people of Japan. Below is the full text of the statement.]]> Statement of Rodolfo Stavenhagen, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, on the official recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous people of Japan December 30, 2008 In September 2007 the General Assembly of the United Nations solemnly proclaimed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which had been in the making in the Human Rights Council for over twenty years. This is a great victory for all indigenous peoples worldwide, as well as an important step forward in the international protection of human rights. During the decades in which the draft declaration was being discussed, the representatives of many indigenous peoples around the world came to Geneva to present their viewpoints and to lobby the world’s diplomats for the recognition of their long neglected and frequently abused rights. Among these groups, there came occasionally also representatives of the Ainu people of Japan to inform the rest of the world about their situation and to state their case for the full recognition of their rights as an indigenous people. For a long time the Japanese government did not legally recognize the Ainu as an indigenous people although many people in Japan knew how the Ainu had been conquered and incorporated into the Japanese Empire in the nineteenth century. Throughout their modern history, the Ainu of Hokkaido were dispossessed of their lands and resources by settlers from the south, and their language and customs were prohibited. Thus, much of their culture was destroyed. In recent decades, official institutions in Japan have made efforts to preserve and protect the remnants of Ainu culture and arts as part of the national culture of the country, but still their rights as a distinct people within the Japanese nation were not officially recognized. During the years that I held the mandate of United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, I had the opportunity, through the kind offices of IMADR and the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, of visiting Ainu communities in Hokkaido in 2002 where I was informed about their situation, their needs and their aspirations. I came away convinced that the rights of the Ainu as an indigenous people of Japan should be protected by law, and I reported on this in my annual report to the UN Commission for Human Rights. Now, with the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the situation has begun to change. I am happy to note that in June 2008 the Diet passed a resolution recognizing the Ainu as an indigenous people of Japan, and the government declared its intention to abide by the resolution. Although this should have happened long ago, it is never too late to redress historical injustices. For the Ainu people the Diet’s decision is a belated recognition of their collective rights as a distinct people who were discriminated against in historical times. The resolution of the Diet and the response of the government will open new spaces for the full participation of the Ainu people in the multicultural society that is Japan at the beginning of the twenty-first century. My heartiest congratulations to the Ainu people and to all the people of Japan.]]> tag:www.imadr.org,2007:/dev/july2007/indigenous//35.432 2007-10-05T11:25:21Z 2009-01-08T01:42:18Z

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 2009-01-08T02:01:55Z

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 2010-07-29T13:56:16Z

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.

From 1998 to 2002, IMADR had been working 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. 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. From 2002 to 2006, IMADR supported the creation and operation 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.