Yesterday morning, a delegation of Indigenous peoples withdrew from the Protected Areas meeting organized under the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) after being told they would not be allowed to participate unless they were backed by a party. This is a significant departure from previous meetings which allowed indigenous people to independently table proposals.

Before walking out, the delegates gagged themselves and held up signs in protest. Jannie Lasimbang of the Kudasan People of Malaysia also read a formal statement expressing the delegations concerns. You can find the statement below.

This …

The International Indian Treaty Council will soon present the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with a document that reveals America’s legacy of systemic racism, forced assimilation and apartheid of Indigenous Peoples.

The 87-page Consolidated Indigenous Shadow Report, which has been prepared with testimony from a number of individuals, covers issues such as: environmental racism, border injustices, the destruction of sacred places, violence against women, and most tellingly, the “overwhelming disparities in income, life expectancy, poverty and unemployment” in what can only be described as a system of …

To my astonisment, the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights has been approved. The 192-member assembly voted 143 in favor and four against, with 11 abstentions. Can you guess who opposed it? Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Despite looking at the concerns recently and previously expressed, I still don’t know what the big deal is. The Declaration is still non-binding…. But at least the 25 year effort wasn’t for nothing.

The question now is, what’s next? Do we sit back and wait for the magic?

Some …

The following comes from the Indigenous Peoples Caucus, via http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com. It’s a notice/invite to help get the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples approved…

I’ve studied the declaration previously, had some concerns over how a few things were expressed, but overall it’s really passed due for it to have some standing. Of course, at this point it’s not likely the declaration will really accomplish that much, because like all UN declarations, it’s an agreement of good faith rather than, something that can be enforced—but it’s no less a good starting point to (hopefully) help bring some sanity …

In 2004, the United States, with the complicity of France and Canada, forcibly removed democratically-elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office, bringing Haiti’s 10 year experience with democracy to a brutal end.

After the coup, 6,000 United Nations Peacekeepers came to Haiti to legitimize the ‘regime change’, and to purportedly help restore peace and democracy in Haiti, in part, by hunting down members of Lavalas, the popular movement that swept Aristide into office.

Since 2004, thousands of Lavalas members, so-called bandits, have been killed or driven into hiding.

please be advised that some of the links below contain images of deceased persons

More to …

The United Nations released a report that focuses in on the rights of Maori and the conduct of the New Zealand Government towards them. Among several issues raised, the UN expressed concerns over a bill that aims to remove references to all principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and also calls for the government to ‘renew’ the dialogue over the Foreshore and Seabed Act: a law passed in 2004 in which the government granted itself exclusive title to the foreshore and Seabed of New Zealand.

The issue with the Foreshore …

From the International Indian Treaty Council:

Online updates from the Sixth United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues provided by International Indian Treaty Council delegate

For the second year, IITC delegate, Alyssa Macy (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon), is providing updates on proceedings of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) being held in New York May 14-25, 2007. Updates include summaries of daily proceedings and photographs of events through the duration of the Permanent Forum.

“I believe it’s important that information about proceedings at the Permanent Forum be …

changes that would cripple the ability of Special Procedures
from The First Peoples Human Rights Coalition
March 15, 2007

Important action: ‘Special Procedures’ have been an essential factor in the voices ‘of the voiceless’ being heard internationally. Some governments at the Human Rights Council are now “proposing changes that would cripple the ability of Special Procedures to promote and protect human rights effectively.” We urge you to stand up for the experts, representatives, and Special Rapporteurs who have bravely stood up for us.

* Go to the dedicated website at www.actforspecialprocedures.org to sign the petition (in …

Discriminatory policies of CANADA
Excerpts from CERD Committee
from the First Peoples Human Rights Coalition

In late February, the policies and actions of the government of Canada were scrutinized in Geneva by the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Committee expressed a number of serious concerns. Read the full report (doc)

We have prepared EXCERPTS (in Spanish and in English) from the concluding observations of the CERD Committee regarding the human rights of Indigenous peoples…

COMMITTEE FOR THE ELIMINATION
OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Seventieth session …

Supporting Genocide In West Papua
from www.heathlander.wordpress.com
March 4, 2007

note by Ahni - the following is slightly skimmed-down version of the original article, which can be found here.

“Since Indonesia gained control of West Papua, the West Papuan people have suffered persistent and horrible abuses at the hands of the government. The Indonesian military and security forces have engaged in widespread violence and extrajudicial killings in West Papua. They have subjected Papuan men and women to acts of torture, disappearance, rape, and sexual violence, thus causing serious bodily and mental harm. Systematic resource exploitation, the destruction of Papuan resources and …