First Peoples Heritage Week in Trinidad

First Peoples Heritage Week on the island of Trinidad this week October 10-18, 2014.

People’s Climate March in NYC

Indigenous Peoples’ traditional teachings have long warned that if human beings failed to protect and care for Mother Earth and the natural world, the survival of humanity would be threatened. Today, increasingly severe impacts of climate change threaten ecosystems and food production around the world and Indigenous Peoples are on the frontlines of climate change impacts.

Indigenous Peoples are participating in the People’s Climate March to bring attention to the devastating impacts of climate change and to share our hopes and teachings for living in harmony with Mother Earth.

For more information: http://peoplesclimate.org/indigenous/

Small Island Developing States Conference: Last Day to Register!

Dear colleagues,

The Third Conference on Small Island Developing States, taking place between 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa, is rapidly approaching.

Preceding the meeting, four Pre-Conference Forums will take place in select locations in Apia from 28-31 August 2014. The Pre-Conference Forums will be held outside of the UN security perimeter and therefore don’t require accreditation to the SIDS Conference. Further information on these activities is available on the SIDS website: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1567

Participation in the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Forum, which will take place on Thursday, 28 (evening) and Friday, 29 August 2014, is subject to registration. Today is the last day to register - if you are planning on attending, you must fill out this form. More information on the Forum can be found here.

We would also like to use this opportunity to remind representatives of organizations that are accredited with the United Nations and plan to attend the official Conference to register here. Conference registration for Major Groups and other stakeholders’ representatives will close on Monday, 4 August 2014.

Warm regards,
Ms. Martina Muller
Major Groups Program
Communications & Outreach - UN DESA/DSD

World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

Pre-Registration for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

Pre-registration is now OPEN for the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly, to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples which will take place on 22 September and on the afternoon of 23 September 2014 at UN Headquarters in New York.

The deadline to pre-register is: 23 July 2014 General Assembly Informal Consultations
 - World Conference on Indigenous Peoples -
Wednesday, 16 July and Monday, 18 August 2014 UN Headquarters, New York

Two informal consultations will be conducted by the President of the General Assembly. The first consultation will be held on Wednesday, 16 July, 2014 and will focus on the zero draft conference outcome document. A revised draft outcome document will be issued shortly after the consultation of that meeting and considered at a second and final consultation, on Monday, 18 August, 2014. 

Pre-registration: Representatives of Indigenous Peoples who wish to attend the informal consultations, please inform the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at indigenous_un@un.org by Friday, 11 July for the first consultation and by Wednesday, 13 August for the second consultation.

Please indicate the name of the organization, name of the representative and contacts including an email address.

Update on SIDS Conference: Nominations

Major Groups

The participation of stakeholders from civil society and other non-state actors is organized according to the major groups structure articulated in Agenda 21. Representatives from major groups interested in participating as observers in the SIDS Conference and its preparatory process are required to be accredited to the United Nations and register accordingly. Accredited? Pre-register by 1 August 2014

Indigenous Peoples interested in attending the Conference should send nominations to Major Group focal point Roberto Borrero at roberto@treatycouncil.org before July 7. 

For more information visit http://www.sids2014.org

Consultations on HLPM/WCIP to begin...

The President of the General Assembly (PGA) announced the date for the first round of consultation with Indigenous Peoples on the HPLM to be known as World Conference on Indigenous Peoples' Outcome Document. The consultation will be held next Tue., 3 June, at the UN Headquarters in New York. Indigenous Peoples who want to attend must register with the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues by Mon., 2 June 2014, 10 AM EST at: http://bit.ly/UNPFIIContact

Small Island Developing States Conference 2014 - SIDS

Major Groups

The participation of stakeholders from civil society and other non-state actors is organized according to the major groups structure articulated in Agenda 21. Representatives from major groups interested in participating as observers in the SIDS Conference and its preparatory process are required to be accredited to the United Nations and register accordingly.
Not accredited? Apply by 12 May 2014
Accredited? Pre-register by 1 August 2014

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States will be held from 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa, to be preceded by activities related to the conference from 28 to 30 August 2014, also in Apia, Samoa  

The participation of stakeholders from civil society and other non-state actors is organized according to the major groups structure articulated in Agenda 21. Representatives from major groups interested in participating as observers in the SIDS Conference and its preparatory process are required to be accredited to the United Nations and register accordingly. 

 Not accredited? Apply by 12 May 2014 

Accredited? Pre-register by 1 August 2014

Visit http://www.sids2014.org

Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible // Open-ended Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

Estimados amigos y colegas ,

A continuación el anuncio de DESA sobre lo que ocurrirá durante la Fase 2 del Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible ( OWG - SDG ) y la financiación sostenible.

Como ustedes saben la Octava Sesión del OWG - SDG acaba de finalizar .

La fase de inventario de la situación en donde se obtuvieron puntos de vista por parte de los gobiernos y de los grupos mayores en los diferentes temas de desarrollo sostenible ha terminado. Ahora van a pasar a las reuniones informales que están destinadas a iniciar los procesos

intergubernamentales de negociación donde van a llegar a un acuerdo sobre lo que será el ODS . Estas reuniones tendrán lugar en las siguientes fechas:

Marzo, del 3 al 7, 2014

Marzo 31 a  abril 4,  2014

Mayo del 5 al 9,  2014

Junio del  16 al 20,  2014

Julio del 14 al 18, 2014

Los co -presidentes del OWG - SDG son el Sr. Macharia Kamau, Representante Permanente de Kenya y el Sr. Csaba Kőrösi, Representante Permanente de Hungría. Para obtener más información sobre los informes de los distintos

grupos de trabajo , por favor visite el sitio web:

www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org

Después de julio el proceso de la Agenda de Desarrollo Post- 2015 se iniciará en septiembre de 2014 en el comienzo de la 69 ª Sesión de la Asamblea General de la ONU . Habrá un evento especial para revisar los ODM durante este evento. Después de este evento de alto nivel , los procesos de negociación se llevará a cabo en lo que será el programa para el desarrollo post- 2015 . Los resultados de la OWG - SDG se incorporarán a este proceso.

Los otros procesos regionales son los siguientes : Esto se obtuvo de del mensaje de Chantal Line Carpienter que es el punto focal de DESA para los Grupos Principales.

Fechas para las Reunión regionales:

vamos a trabajar con los coordinadores residentes para identificar a los participantes regionales , por favor inicia contactos directos con su circunscripción:

Reunión de la CESPAP HLPF (ESCAP HLPF  por sus siglas en inglés) en abril (2-4) , con consulta previa a partir del 29 ó el 30 de marzo en Bangkok.

CESPAO (ESCWA por sus siglas en ingles) 2 a 3 abril en Aman, Jordania.

CEPAL primera semana de mayo en Perú

ECE - puede que no tenga reunión en la HLPF

ECA: no hay información.

Estamos planeando ofrecer actividades de creación de capacidades y oportunidades de incidencia en cada reunión.

También hay que considerar que habrá una reunión sobre los pequeños estados insulares en desarrollo deberían (SIDS por sus siglas en ingles). Así que esto es muy relevante para el Consejo del Pacífico y el Caribe. Por favor, interactuar con Roberto Borrero Mukaro que es del Caribe y que representa a CITI , uno de los socios en la organización para la OWG - ODS , por lo que puede ayudar a proporcionar información adicional al respecto.

Sobre la contribución de los SIDS y altavoz para el lanzamiento del Año Internacional de los Pequeños Estados Insulares:

RECORDATORIO: fecha límite para la presentación de lo que el documento de la conferencia SIDS debe contener es el 15 de febrero.

Ver

http://www.sids2014.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=56&menu=1504<http://www.sids2014.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=56&menu=1504>

Para el lanzamiento del Año Internacional de la SIDS , sólo C & Y y las mujeres presentaron nombres. Mis colegas han seleccionado al candidato de C & Y Ben Anthoy Bacar MOUSSA de Islas Comoras. Ya C & Y está trabajando con

él en su declaración en idioma francés y compartirán con usted a la brevedad , ya que esto es una declaración de todos los MGs.

Por favor, háganos saber quién de sus  miembros (consituency) estarán aquí para la PrepCom 24 a 26 febrero.

La Socios Organizador de Grupo Principal de los Pueblos Indígenas son Tebtebba y el IIN ( Red Indígena de Información de Kenia, para el Sur) y el Consejo Internacional de Tratados Indios (CITI ) para el Norte. Hay muy mínima participación de los pueblos indígenas en estos procesos porque hay muy poco apoyo (financiamiento )para esto y el DESA sólo admite una o dos personas del Sur.  Por parte de Tebtebba , tenemos a Galina Angarova que tiene su sede en Nueva York para participar a tiempo completo con este proceso, entre otros y por ellos CITI tiene a Roberto Mukaro Borrero, también con sede en Nueva York . Para IIN es Lucy Mulenkei cuyo correo electrónico es mulenkei@yahoo.com.

Si desea más información envíe un correo electrónico  a Galina: galina@tebtebba.org y Roberto es mukaro@uctp.org

.Traducido por CADPI

2014-02-11 21:29 GMT-06:00 Vicky Tauli-Corpuz :

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Please find below the announcement from DESA on what will happen during the Phase 2 of the Open-ended Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-SDG) and Sustainable Financing. As you may know the OWG-SDG 8^th Session just finished. The Stocktaking Phase where they had views from

governments and from Major groups on the various sustainable development issues is over. They will now move to the informals which are meant to be intergovernmental negotiating processes where they will reach agreement on what will be the SDGs. These meetings will take place on the following dates;

March 3-7, 2014

March 31-April 4, 2014

May 5-9, 2014

June 16-20, 2014

July 14-18, 2014

The co-chairs  of the OWG-SDG are  Mr. Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya and Mr. Csaba Kōrōsi, Permanent Representative of Hungary. For more information on the reports of the various working groups please go to the website; *sustainabledevelopment.un.org

& http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

After July the Post-2015 Development Agenda Process will start in September 2014 at the beginning of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly. There will be a special event to review the MDGs during this event. After this High Level Event, the negotiations processes will take place on what the Post-2015 Development Agenda will be. The results of the OWG-SDG will feed into this process.

The other regional processes are the following: I cut this from the message of Chantal Line Carpienter who is the DESA focal point for Major Groups.

*Regional meeting dates: we will work with RCs to identify regional participants, please start outreaching to your constituency*

ESCAP HLPF meeting in April (2-4) with pre-consultation starting from 29 or 30 March, Bangkok

ESCWA 2-3 April in Aman, Jordan.

ECLAC first week of May in Peru

ECE may not have a meeting on the HLPF

ECA: no further info

We are planning to offer capacity building and advocacy opportunities at each meeting.

There will also be a meeting on SIDS which those in small-island developing states should consider. So this is very relevant for the Pacific Caucus and also the Carribean. Please interact with Roberto Mukaro Borrero who is from the Caribbean and who is representing  IITC, one of the

Organizing Partners for the OWG-SDGs, so he can help provide additional information on this.

*SIDS contribution and speaker for launching of INternational year of the SIDS*

REMINDER: deadline for submission of what the SIDS conference document should contain is 15 February,

http://www.sids2014.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=56&menu=1504<http://www.sids2014.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=56&menu=1504>

For the Launch of the international year of the SIDS, only C& Y and women submitted names. My colleagues have selected the C& Y candidate Ben Anthoy

Bacar MOUSSA from Comoros*. *C&Y are working with him on his statement in French and will share with you shortly as this is a statement for all MGs.

Please let us know who from your constituency plan to be here for the PrepCom 24-26 Feb.

The Organizing Partners for the Indigenous Peoples' Major Group are Tebtebba and IIN (Indigenous Information Network from Kenya, for the South and International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) for the North. There is very minimal participation of indigenous peoples in these processes because there is very little support for this and the DESA only supports one or two persons from the South. For Tebtebba, we have Galina Angarova who is based

in New York to engage on a more full-time basis with this process, among others and for IITC they have Roberto Mukaro Borrero., also based in NY. For IIN this is Lucy Mulenkei whose email is mulenkei@yahoo.com.

If you want more information please email them. Galina's email is galina@tebtebba.org and Roberto's is mukaro@uctp.org.

best regards,

Vicky

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Executive Director

Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education)

Convenor, Asian Indigenous Women's Network

email: vicky@tebtebba.org

phone: 63-74-4447703

mobile: 63-9175317811

www.tebtebba.org

Conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and promotion of durable peace, rule of law and governance

Co-chairs' meeting with representatives of Major Groups and other stakeholders

Conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and promotion of durable peace, rule of law and governance, 02/07/2014

Submitted by Roberto Múkaro Borrero (Taíno), International Indian Treaty Council

Thank you honorable co-Chairs.

Let me begin by noting that during previous sessions, the Indigenous Peoples Major Group addressed the broader theme of governance and those statements are available at the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. Our presentation today will therefore focus more specifically on the rule of law, which is certainly not an abstract concept to the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

The rule of law and human rights do matter to Indigenous Peoples; affirming and implementing these legal and conceptual frameworks are among the reasons why we engage with the UN system and the States. 

Indeed, the Indigenous Peoples Major Group takes note of the Secretary-General’s Report on ‘Delivering Justice’ where he states: “The rule of law is a core principle of governance that ensures justice and fairness, values which are essential to our humanity”.[i]

From an indigenous perspective, justice and fairness, along with other key themes such as durable peace, human rights, security, accountability and sustainable development, cannot be promoted in isolation or at the expense of Indigenous Peoples. With justice, fairness, and the rule of law based in the human rights framework, there is much that can and must be done to ensure the voices, interests, and concerns of Indigenous Peoples are included in the post-2015 development agenda.

Honorable Co-Chairs, we are aware that all 193 United Nations Member States endorsed the idea that the rule of law and development are mutually reinforcing.  Additionally, States affirmed that this interrelationship should be considered in the post-2015 development agenda.[ii] Moreover, there already seems to be a broad consensus that the post-2015 agenda needs to move forward with sustainable development at its core and the eradication of poverty as its top priority.  Indigenous Peoples, however, are well aware that poverty will not be alleviated without respect for rights, justice and fairness.

Based on this reality, and to better address inequalities faced by Indigenous Peoples, it is essential that the advancement of the rule of law at the national and international levels be clearly articulated as a priority in this new agenda. There is a need for Governments, for instance on the country-level, to strengthen their regulatory systems with strong, yet adaptable legal frameworks that not only take into account of the special situations and legal frameworks of Indigenous Peoples, but that conform fully with internationally accepted human rights standards and resulting legal obligations and commitments.

In this context, the rule of law as defined by the Secretary General forms a critical point of reference for the empowerment and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups in the post-2015 agenda.[iii]  While the OWG process is considering the linkages between the rule of law and sustainable development, there are a number of challenges and issues relevant to Indigenous Peoples that should be taken into consideration. These include, but are not limited, to: Treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between States and Indigenous Peoples; engagement with indigenous legal and justice systems; Constitution-making; institution-building; participatory mechanisms for conflict resolution; and meaningful and effective participation in processes aimed at strengthening the rule of law. Fortunately, there are mechanisms that can guide States and the United Nations System toward meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples in these areas.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, for instance, builds on existing human rights standards, many of which represent established, legally-binding obligations of States, and applies these standards to the specific needs and circumstances of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration sets out minimum standards for the “survival, dignity and well-being” of Indigenous peoples around the world as well as participatory frameworks for resolution of conflicts.[iv]

The Rio+ 20 Outcome Document stressed the importance of the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the achievement of sustainable development. It also recognizes the importance of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of global, regional, national, and sub-national implementation of sustainable development strategies.

In closing, the Indigenous Peoples major group affirms that the rule of law is a principle of governance that promotes justice, fairness, and accountability.  We call upon the OWG co-chairs to ensure that the culmination of this process includes a clear message that implementation by States of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other human rights standards including the Human Rights Covenants and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination should be regarded as political, moral and legal imperatives without qualification. 

Hahom/Thank you.

---

[i] “Delivering justice: programme of action to strengthen the rule of law at the national and international levels”, 16 March 2012, A/66/749, paragraph 1.

[ii] See http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/dsgsm721.doc.htm

[iii] The Secretary-General defines the rule of law as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards. It requires, as well, measures to ensure adherence to the principles of supremacy of law, equality before the law, accountability to the law, fairness in the application of the law, separation of powers, participation in decision-making, legal certainty, avoidance of arbitrariness and procedural and legal transparency." (Report of the Secretary-General: The rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies” (2004))



[iv] There are other mechanisms that should be highlighted in this context such as the CERD, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Convention 169, etc. 

Originally posted at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1680

UCTP Letter to the President of the General Assembly John William Ashe

01/27/2014

To: H.E. Ambassador John William Ashe, Antigua and Barbuda, 
 President, United Nations General Assembly 

Via email & hand-delivered 

Re: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) 

 Takahi (Greetings) Excellency: On behalf of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP), I am writing to you with great concern regarding the preparations for the High Level Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The UCTP is an indigenous Caribbean regional organization extending through the Major and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Diaspora. The UCTP is a member of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) and an affiliate of the International Indian Treaty Council, an ECOSOC accredited indigenous, non-governmental organization representing indigenous peoples of North, South, and Central America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. 

The UCTP is particularly concerned with your hesitancy to reconfirm the appointment of Mr. John Henriksen (Sami) as the Indigenous co-coordinator (or co-facilitator) on an equal basis with a State representative in that role. The appointment of an indigenous co-coordinator in this process finds its precedent set by the President of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly H.E. Nassir AbdulazizAl‐Nasser (Qatar) in early 2012. 

With this in mind, we respectfully call upon you to reconfirm Mr. Henriksen in this role, which is a decision consistent with the standards articulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Please note that after consultation with our regional leadership and allies, the UCTP can only support the WCIP process if there is equal representation of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, please also note that should the WCIP move forward without equal representation, Indigenous Peoples who form part of the UCTP will call for the WCIP to be canceled. 

In closing, Caribbean Governments are an historic ally to Indigenous Peoples since at least the UN International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on through the process to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We trust that we can continue to count on the region to move progressively toward fulfilling the goal of “Partnership in Action” as promoted by the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. 

Oma bahari (With respect), 
 Roger Hernandez-Moyet, 
Board Secretary & Borikén Liaison 

CC: UCTP Board & membership; Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples; Caribbean Amerindian Development Organization; International Indian Treaty Council; Global Coordinating Committee of the WCIP; Latin American and Caribbean Regional Caucus to the WCIP