Inter-American Development Bank Requests Comments on Impacts to Affected Communities Including Indigenous Communities

IDB invites feedback on new project impact mechanism for communities
Comments and suggestions will be received June 1—September 31

The Inter-American Development Bank today unveiled its new proposed Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (ICIM)—the process through which affected communities can voice concerns about an IDB project.

The ICIM is a draft proposal, which is open to public consultation for civil society groups and other actors to express their suggestions and provide feedback. The idea is to enhance and speed up the investigation process of external allegations.

This new independent accountability mechanism upgrades the current Independent Investigation Mechanism (IIM), which has been in place since 1994. The new ICIM focuses on three critical areas of the Bank: environmental and associated safeguard policies; women in development; and information disclosure policies. It adds a consultation phase to address community concerns through alternative dispute resolution methods.

In addition, the new ICIM provides the investigative panel with training to improve the information given to the IDB Board of Executive Directors and facilitates its oversight. It also promotes more disclosure and transparency, simplifies processes and works in line with other peer institutions’ mechanisms.

Ana-Mita Betancourt, coordinator of the IDB Independent Investigation Mechanism, highlighted that the public consultation process “will allow us to build a better Mechanism by considering diverse views”.

The public consultation is a two-step process. During the first informative stage, May 6–31, the IDB encourages civil society organizations to preview the proposal of the new mechanism. “This informative stage is crucial for the IDB to guarantee that—prior to the mechanism’s formal public consultation—civil society understands thoroughly this new proposal and the key role it plays in the entire mechanism,” said Karla Chaman, IDB civil society officer.

In the following three-month public consultation stage, starting June 1, the Bank will receive feedback from civil society organizations in the United States, throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and elsewhere.

The mandate for an independent mechanism comes from the IDB's Board of Governors, made up of top Central Bank and finance ministry officials from the 48 member countries. The Governors directed that a tool be established to promote the Bank’s accountability, transparency and effectiveness. This proposal will further that mandate and provide a new framework to address the concerns of communities throughout the region.

More information
Ana-Mita Betancourt
Coordinator, IIM
anamitab@iadb.org

Karla Chaman
IDB civil society officer
kchaman@iadb.org

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Applications for Tribal Wildlife Grants

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
NEWS BULLETIN

Contact:
Pat Durham
(703) 358-1728
Pat_Durham@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Applications for Tribal Wildlife Grants

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a request for grant
proposals from federally recognized Tribes for projects that will conserve
fish and wildlife resources on tribal lands. The Tribal Wildlife Grants
program funds projects on a competitive basis that benefit habitat, fish and
wildlife, including species that are not hunted or fished. This grant
request is for fiscal year 2010.

Proposals and grant applications must be postmarked by September 1, 2009.
The maximum award for any one project under this program is $200,000. For
more information and to obtain a copy of the grant application kit, or to
find a regional Tribal grants contact, please visit
http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican. Additional information about this and
other grant programs is available at http://www.grants.gov.

In FY 2009, the Tribal Wildlife Grant program awarded nearly $7 million to
41 Tribes for projects ranging from comprehensive surveys of plants, fish
and wildlife, to habitat and fish restoration, to development of new
resource management plans and techniques.

The Tribal Wildlife Grants program began in 2003 and has provided a total of
more than $50 million to hundreds of tribes across the nation, enabling them
to develop increased management capacity, improve and enhance relationships
with partners, address cultural and environmental priorities and heighten
interest of tribal students in fisheries, wildlife and related fields of
study. A comprehensive report on projects awarded between 2003 and 2006 is
available at http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our
work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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American Research Institute in Turkey National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship

ARIT RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS 2010-2011

American Research Institute in Turkey National Endowment for the Humanities/ARIT Advanced Fellowships for Research in Turkey, 2010-2011.

ARIT/NEH Advanced Fellowships cover all fields of the humanities, including prehistory, history, art, archaeology, literature, and linguistics as well as interdisciplinary aspects of cultural history for applicants who have completed their academic training. The fellowships may be held for terms ranging from four months to a full year. Stipends range from $16,800 to 50,400.

ARIT Fellowships for Research in Turkey, 2010-2011 ARIT Fellowships are offered for research in ancient, medieval, or modern times, in any field of the humanities and social sciences.

Post-doctoral and advanced doctoral fellowships may be held for various terms, from two to three months up to terms of a year. Stipends range from $4,000 to $16,000.

Kenan T. Erim Fellowship, 2010-2011

The Erim fellowship will support excavation or field study of excavated material remains at Aphrodisias during the summer 2010, $2375.

Applications for ARIT fellowships must be submitted to ARIT before November 1, 2009. The fellowship committee will notify applicants by late January, 2010.


ARIT LANGUAGE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS 2010

Critical Language Scholarship Institutes in Turkish Language The program supports intensive study of Turkish language at all levels, including air fare, tuition, and stipend. Courses are held in several locations in Turkey. The program competition is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. For more information, please see the program website at http://www.clscholarship.org/home.php.

The application deadline is around November 1, to be announced.

ARIT – Princeton Summer Fellowships for Intensive Advanced Turkish Language at Bogazici University, Istanbul The program supports intensive study of advanced Turkish language at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey, including air fare, tuition, and stipend. The application deadline is February 1.

Contact:

Nancy Leinwand
American Research Institute in Turkey
University of Pennsylvania Museum
3260 South Street
Philadelphia PA 19104-6324

215 898 3474
fax 215 898 0657
leinwand@sas.upenn.edu
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/ARIT

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11th Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) International Festival of Ethnographic Film

11th Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) International Festival of Ethnographic Film

International Festival of Ethnographic Film

01.-04.07.09, Leeds, UK

We are pleased to announce that both the program and the registration page are now up and running on the website.

Drawing in international film-makers, broadcasters, academics and a non-specialist audience, the RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film is one of the leading global gatherings in the UK that celebrates critical film-making and discusses the relationships between film, visual culture, and the promotion of cultural diversity and inter-cultural dialogue. The festival includes film screenings, the awarding of film prizes, workshops and panel debates.

This is the festival's first visit to Leeds and we look forward to an exciting and successful week!

The 11th RAI Festival will be jointly hosted by:

• The Centre for Tourism & Cultural Change and
• The Northern School Film, Television and Performing Arts at Leeds Metropolitan University

with

• The Louis Le Prince Centre for Cinema, Photography and Television at the University of Leeds
• The National Media Museum

The festival will be held on Wednesday July 1st – Saturday July 4th, 2009 at the brand new 'Rose Bowl' building at Leeds Metropolitan University, in central Leeds.

The festival will include 4 days of screenings, a major international conference, and a targeted selection of ancillary events focusing on anthropological ethics in filmmaking, salvaging and archiving ethnographic film.


Early bird: Register before May 20 and save £20!

If you have any questions or comments please direct them to:

Mark Andersen
Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change
m.a.andersen@leedsmet.ac.uk
phone +44 (0)113- 812 9239
fax +44 (0)113- 812 8544

Films will be considered for the following:

• Royal Anthropological Institute Prize
• Basil Wright Film Prize
• Wiley-Blackwell Student Film Prize
• Material Culture & Archaeology Film Prize
• Intangible Culture Film Prize

More details can be found about the prizes here.

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May 6-12, 2009: Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues

Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues for the Week of May 6 - 12, 2009


Chile: Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review

The Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Working Group reviewed the fulfillment of human rights obligations by the Chile this morning, during which 51 Council members and observers raised a number of issues pertaining to the human rights situation in the country.

For use of information media; not an official record

• The Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Working Group reviewed the fulfillment of human rights obligations by the Chile this morning, during which 51 Council members and observers raised a number of issues pertaining to the human rights situation in the country.

• This morning, the Working Group also adopted, ad referendum, the report on the Republic of Congo, following the review of the country on Wednesday, 6 May.

• Presenting the national report of Chile was JOSE ANTONIO VIERA-GALLO, Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Chile, who recalled that in 1990 his country embarked on the reconstruction of a democratic system based on respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural -, valuing their universality, indivisibility and interdependence. Read more about human rights in Chile here....


New Zealand: Maori Party Welcomes UN Report On Maori Human Rights

The co-leaders of the Maori Party have welcomed the report of the United Nations Human Rights Council which has recommended our government better protect Maori rights.

The report was published in Geneva last night in response to a report from a delegation from New Zealand led by Justice Minister Simon Power.

Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples says, "I hope people will read the full report of the UN Human Rights Council. I congratulate our government on the frankness of the report Minister Power gave to the UN council. I am happy to say that Maori people were consulted, and the Maori Party had input into that report."

Co-leader Tariana Turia says she supports the report and says people should not be surprised by the UN council's decisions, which would improve our government's performance in international eyes.

"I commend the commitment of Treaty workers, iwi trust boards and other NGOs whose hard work has been recognised in the quality of the recommendations from the Human Rights Council."

"The appointment of two Maori Party Ministers, who support a whanau ora approach to Maori development, will help progress on reducing disparities between Maori and non-Maori, in key portfolios of education, health Maori Affairs and social development," said the co-leaders. Read more about the human rights report here....


Malaysia: Highest Court Affirms Tribes' Land Rights

Malaysia's highest court has affirmed a ruling granting land rights to indigenous people that could help them resist oil and logging companies razing their ancestral forests, a lawyer said Sunday.

A panel of three Federal Court judges unanimously ruled that tribes have customary ownership of land they have lived on for generations and state governments cannot take it from them without compensation, said See Chee How, a prominent land rights lawyer.

"It is a landmark decision," said See of Tuesday's ruling. "It's the first time the Federal Court has affirmed (such) a decision."

See said he hoped this would bode well for more than 100 other land rights cases still pending in court. Land rights are a key concern for the country's indigenous people, many of whom have been pushed off land without compensation by state governments to make way for development.

State governments claim the tribes have no legal rights to their ancestral land, which is owned by the state. But the tribes, who mostly live in poor settlements in the jungles on Borneo island, argue that the land is theirs because they have lived on it for generations. Read more about the land rights decision here....


Taiwan: Pingpu Tribe Natives Demand Recognition Of Their Aboriginal Status

Aren’t Pingpu natives considered Taiwanese aboriginals too? However, according an announcement by the Legislative Yuan on April 29th, Pingpu aboriginals’ names do not comply with regulations on the format for aboriginal names. As a result, Taiwanese government does not consider Pingpu aboriginals as an aboriginal group and they do not enjoy the rights and privileges granted to other aboriginal groups.

A crowd of roughly 5,000 people gathered in front of the Presidential Palace on May 2nd to hold a press conference, protest this matter and voice their concern to President Ma. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) also took part and Associate General Secretary Sing ‘Olam said such a misguided interpretation of the law not only disregards Pingpu as Taiwanese aboriginals but also shows utter disrespect toward Pingpu tribes.

Crowds of protesters gathered in front of the Presidential Palace holding signs and shouting slogans to rebut the Legislative Yuan’s announcement. Sing ‘Olam said denying the reality of Pingpu’s existence throughout Taiwanese history is an offense against God’s creation. “Humans cannot choose their lineage because it is determined by God and unchangeable,” he said. He demanded that the government issue an apology and rectify their decision by allowing Pingpu aboriginals to restore their aboriginal names.

Sing ‘Olam berated the Ma administration for denying the existence of Pingpu aboriginals in Taiwan through legislation, while simultaneously using underhanded tactics to force Taiwanese people into accepting the administration’s position that “Taiwanese people are also Chinese people”. He reiterated the PCT’s support for the recognition of Pingpu aboriginals and the restoration of their original names.

Protesters chanted “We are Pingpu!” and sang aboriginal songs during the rally. Many of them wore aboriginal attire, sang native songs, and some even danced to the tune of Siraya music to demonstrate that Pingpu culture had not faded from Taiwanese history.

Banners displaying the name of PCT churches could be seen among the crowd at the rally, including churches from Tainan Presbytery such as Kau-Pi Church. These banners served as a reminder that many Pingpu aboriginals are Christians who have been in Taiwan from the very beginning. When missionaries came to Taiwan in the 19th century, many aboriginals accepted Christ. To this day, many PCT churches in rural areas are filled with Pingpu aboriginals. Though their culture and lifestyle may have changed significantly over the years, their presence has never left Taiwan.

During the rally, Siraya Association Secretary General Wan Shu-chuan, who is also a member of Kau-Pi Church, and other supporters delivered a petition letter to the Presidential Palace and were met inside by a public affairs official. Read more on the Pingu struggle here....


Indigenous NGOs, President Jagdeo Meet On Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy

President Bharrat Jagdeo met with representatives of indigenous Non Governmental Organisations on May 8, to discuss Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which is scheduled to be launched this month - end.

Represented at the meeting were Jean La Rose and Lawrence Anselmo of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Peter Persaud of the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), Pamela Mendonca and Ashton Simon from the National Amerindian Development Fund (NADF); and Jocelyn Dow representing the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) as independent consultants on behalf of the Government of Norway. Also in attendance were Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and Chairman of the National Climate Committee Shyam Nokta.

President Jagdeo outlined that the LCDS will provide the broad framework of Guyana’s response to climate change and will hinge, in particular on Guyana deploying its forests to mitigate global climate change. Read more on Guyana and indigenous NGOs here....

Last weeks Five Key Indigenous People's Issues can be found here.

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Volume On Genocide Of Indigenous Peoples: Call For Authors

Call for Authors

Volume on Genocide of Indigenous Peoples in Genocide: A Critical Bibliographical Review

Samuel Totten (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville) and Robert Hitchcock (Michigan State University) are seeking potential contributors to Volume 8 of Genocide: A Critical Bibliographic Review (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers).

FOCUS OF VOLUME 8: Genocide of Indigenous Peoples

Among the topics/issues authors are needed for are:

Efforts of indigenous groups, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations to combat ethnocidal and genocidal tendencies/actions

• The Tasmanian Genocide
• The Ache: Genocide? Ethnocide? Or?
• IGBO: Genocide? Ethnocide? Or?
• Denial of Indigenous Genocides

Prospective authors are welcome to suggest additional issues/topics for other chapters.

Contact Dr. Samuel Totten at: stotten@uark.edu

Chapters may be written by single authors, dual authors, or a triad of authors. Each author should be an expert on that which he/she addresses.

Each chapter should be between 20 and 30 pages, double spaced, typed.

The first half of the chapter should include a critical review of the topic/issue and the second half should be comprised of an annotated bibliography of key works (articles, chapters, books).

Interested authors should contact Totten informing him of his/her/their interest (Chapters shall be assigned on a first-come, first serve basis -- contingent, of course, based on one’s expertise)

Correspondence should include a note regarding their area of expertise and provide a short vita that addresses their expertise (degrees, major publications, et al).

Please be sure to provide contact information (name of affiliation, street address, city, state/province, country, email address.

The deadline for the submission of a chapter is September 10, 2009

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Transformations At The Cultural Interface: Contemporary Aboriginal Cultural Dynamics In South-East Australia: Call for Papers

A conference organised and hosted by Macquarie University’s Centre for Research on Social Inclusion (CRSI) and Warawara Department of Indigenous Studies, in cooperation with the South East Australia Network of Anthropologists (SEANA).

‘Transformations at the Cultural Interface: Contemporary Aboriginal cultural dynamics in south-east Australia’

To be held at Macquarie University Sydney on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 December 2009.

Conference Aims and Rationale

This conference aims to explore questions of how social and cultural change is to be interpreted in post native title contexts. Australian Aboriginal people have had to continuously re-imagine themselves under ever changing conditions. Research in Australia, however, has seldom dealt with phenomena related to cultural change including the process of re-imagining kinship systems, cosmologies or economies, let alone cultural identities in the everyday world. New spaces for the imagination as well as new ways of imagining have been created by colonisation and modernisation. The specific study area of this conference is south east Australia, where Aboriginal languages are being revived, ceremonies are re-emerging and being re-imagined, and there is a resurgence of painting, dancing and other performative activities.

Most of these dynamic expressions and representations of identity are widely supported by the state and by a generally sympathetic and interested public. In the wake of ongoing attempts at recognition of Aboriginal land and heritage rights, there are few cultural spaces that are not touched by the need, or indeed desire to imagine Aboriginality in some way. Education, health, the arts, employment all struggle with ‘two-way culture’ and ‘culturally appropriate’ initiatives and methods. While these activities and initiatives are ubiquitous, there is little agreement about what to call them, how to describe them or, how to interpret them. In some cases local communities are in dispute over who should exercise authority over cultural representations. Common talk of Aboriginal values, Aboriginal ontology and other ways of speaking about ‘an’ Aboriginal cultural domain can mislead as they try to recognise difference and where identities are never clear cut or sharply divided. We are interested in rigorous research based on concrete examples that will allow complex and varied representations of re-emergent cultural practices, new inventions and re-worked identities.

The condition of being thought settled - or unsettled - requires that research focuses on the conditions of settlement -governance, race relations, hybridity, violence, cross cultural communication, power relations. This disparate collection of terms, and indeed this conference, is intended to cover a series of contradictory ways different people have approached and experienced these issues.

Conference Themes

The organisers are calling for papers based on original ethnographic research in communities in south-east Australia. The conference is inspired by ideas that have emerged from ethnographic work which inevitably raises questions that are not apparent in the more copious research undertaken in the centre and north of the continent. The following questions offer a guide to the themes to be addressed by papers for the conference.

How is the reification and essentialising of Indigenous culture impacting on the everyday lives of people?

How are the policies and practices of government agencies implicated in the kinds of cultural production that is occurring?

In what ways are relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people being denied in the interest of an unambiguous identity?

Why is the public face of Aboriginality still dominated by images from the centre and north of the continent despite most Aborigines residing in the south east?

Is the anchoring of Indigenous identity in notions of tradition and remoteness still apparent in SE Australia?

What traditions are people choosing to celebrate and why?

Should academics describe phenomena which is claimed by Aboriginal people as re-possessed culture from another time?

Call for Papers and Abstracts

Please forward paper title and abstract of no more than 200 words to the conference co-ordinators by Friday May 22, 2009. Please provide your contact details including institutional/organisational affiliation.

Accepted proposals will be advised following a selection process.

Registration details will be posted by end June, 2009 on the Macquarie
Arts Faculty website. http://www.arts.mq.edu.au

Conference Co-ordinators

Lorraine Gibson, Centre for Research on Social Inclusion.
+61 (0)2 9476 1645
Lorraine.gibson@mq.edu.au

Kristina Everett, Warawara Department of Indigenous Studies.
+61 (0)2
Kristina.everett@mq.edu.au

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Call for Proposals: Native American Sustainable Agriculture Grant

The 2010 North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Call for Native American Sustainable Agriculture Grant Proposals is now available:
2010 Call for Native American Sustainable Agriculture Grant Proposals (Word)

The deadline for Proposals is 4:30pm CDT, Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

The Native American Sustainable Agricultural Grant Program is initially funded as a one-time NCR-SARE grant program. The purpose of this grant program is to fund project(s) that can help NCR-SARE reach and work with Native Americans to improve agricultural sustainability in the North Central Region. Maximum total grant size is $275,000, with a maximum duration of three years.

* Questions? Contact Bill Wilcke, Regional Coordinator, (612) 625-8205

The USDA's North Central Region (NCR) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has awarded more than $40 million worth of competitive grants to farmers and ranchers, researchers, educators, public and private institutions, nonprofit groups, and others exploring sustainable agriculture in 12 states.

NCR-SARE Goals

Foster site-specific, integrated farming systems; satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality, natural resource conservation and the integration of on-farm and biological resources; enhance the quality of rural life and support owner-operated farms; protect human health and safety; and promote crop, livestock and enterprise diversity and the well-being of animals.

NCR-SARE Mission Statement

North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education strengthens rural communities, increases farmer / rancher profitability, and improves the environment by supporting research and education.

This is congruent with the national legislation which created the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) research and education program now entitled "Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education" and the joint USDA/CSREES, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) research and education program entitled "Agriculture in Concert with the Environment (ACE)".

NCR-SARE Core Ideologies

Core Value: The sustainability and well-being of all aspects of agriculture and those communities that support agriculture.

Core Purpose: To preserve resources, to achieve the best environment possible, to produce the highest quality of product, and to maximize quality of life.

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