Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice

“Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice”

There is a common idea out there that the injustices committed against North American indigenous “Indians” was a 19th Century and/or early 20th Century condition. While we all hold a general awareness that native reservations in the United States and reserves and Indian settlement areas in Canada may be marked by high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, suicide, gang activity, and domestic violence, and that these societal conditions may be regarded as a consequence of the colonization of North America; what is unknown is that these communities are still fighting a battle, today, that looks no different than the past.

North American indigenous communities, reservations, ceded territories, spiritual places, and traditional lands still in dispute in a court of law are under attack by multi-national corporations, governmental policies that abet domestic and foreign natural resource extractive industries, and judicial systems and processes that typically uphold legal edicts based on precedents without questioning whether it was fair, ethical, and just to begin with.

We will discuss the following three key and rapidly escalating areas of interest:

The Western Shoshone in the state of Nevada and their long-standing and continuing struggle against the mining and nuclear industries on their non-reservation lands under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley,

The Athabascan Chipewyan and Lubicon Cree, and other First Nation groups whose Treaty lands are being plundered by the Albertan Oil Tar Sands, and the oil pipelines from the Oil Tar Sands into the United States are threatening the Assiniboine and Lakota tribes of Montana and South Dakota and the Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota,

The conditions for indigenous tribes along the United States borders including the Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, Jumano and Lipan Ndé (Apache) whose reservations or traditional lands have a border, and now a border wall, running through it. These tribes are under severe pressure due to the onslaught of the drug cartels and the human traffickers from Mexico, American and Mexican Customs and Border Patrol personnel, multi-national global subcontractors constructing the border wall and associated components, and civilian border-monitoring groups who may not possess the cultural education tools to understand the needs of these native communities.

Indigenous tribes such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) along the United States and Canadian border are experiencing similar conditions with border patrol operatives, and the caseload of human rights violations continues to mount; especially due to pre-existing racial tensions regarding tribal land and treaty rights and a jointly-shared United States and Canada program called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that will commence on June 1, 2009, which may violate the terms of the Jay Treaty of 1794.

Additionally, we will discuss what role Germany and Europe plays in regards to the mining in Nevada, the oil production in Canada, and North American national defense mechanisms.

Furthermore, how will the Obama administration handle these North American indigenous concerns considering that his administration has begun reviewing the September 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples? Will it be the same policies as his predecessors or is there hope in indigenous communities that there will be a change?

Similarly, how is Canada handling indigenous issues in light of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s June 8, 2008 official apology to First Nations regarding the Indian Residential School era and the fact that Amnesty International of Canada and the Native Women’s Association of Canada has published reports in the past year detailing the high prevalence of missing and murdered native women in Canada?

The intent of this lecture, discussion, and dialogue is to educate and raise awareness about present-day North American indigenous community challenges and to examine them from not only a brief historical level, but to examine how governmental policies and the legal processes of today may undermine or adversely affect the sovereignty of indigenous tribes, some who may not have political recognition or it may be limited, and how this is reinforcing an atmosphere where human, cultural, tribal, and treaty rights continues to be infringed upon.

Please Note: The lecture and discussion will be communicated in the English language.

DEUTSCHE ÜBERSETZUNG

Es wird allgemein angenommen, dass das Unrecht an den nordamerikanischen Indianern vor allem im 19. und beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert begangen wurde. Während heute allgemein bekannt ist, dass vielfältige Probleme das indianische Leben in den Reservaten und Siedlungen der USA und Kanadas prägen, wie hohe Arbeitslosigkeits- und Selbstmordraten, Drogenprobleme und Gewalt, und sie als mittelbare Folge der nordamerikanischen Kolonisation anzusehen sind, scheint wenig bekannt, dass diese indigenen Völker nach wie vor Kämpfe auszutragen haben, die sich nicht wesentlich von denen der vergangenen Jahrhunderte unterscheiden.

Die indianischen Völker Nordamerikas, ihre Reservate, zugesicherten Gebiete, heiligen Plätze und traditionellen Stammesgebiete, über die noch heute vor Gerichten gestritten wird, werden bedroht von multinationalen Konzernen, politischen Entscheidungen, die die nationale und ausländische Rohstoffindustrie begünstigen, sowie Gerichten, die an überkommenen Präzedenzfällen festhalten, ohne zu hinterfragen, ob diese faire und ethisch gerechtfertigte Urteile darstellen.

Es werden folgende ebenso brisante wie aktuelle Bereiche diskutiert:

Die Western Shoshone in Nevada und ihre lang anhaltenden Anstrengungen gegen Bergbau- und Atomindustrie in ihren Nicht-Reservationsgebieten entsprechend dem Abkommen von Ruby Valley 1863.

Die Athabascan Chipewyan, Lubicon Cree und andere First Nation Gruppierungen in Kanada, auf deren durch Abkommen zugesicherten Gebieten ölhaltige Teersände gefördert werden, sowie die Ölpipelines, die auf der Strecke zwischen den Oil Tar Sands und den USA die Gebiete der Assiniboine und Lakota Stämme in Montana und South Dakota, und der Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota gefährden.

3) Die Lebensbedingungen indigener Stämme entlang der US-amerikanischen Grenzen, insbesondere der Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, Jumano und Lipan Ndé (Apache), durch deren Reservate oder traditionellen Gebiete eine Grenze bzw, nunmehr ein Grenzwall verläuft. Diese Stämme stehen aufgrund der Ausdehnung mexikanischer Drogenkartelle und Menschenhändler, durch US-amerikanische und mexikanische Grenzbeamte, durch die Praktiken multinationaler Subunternehmen, die mit dem Bau des Grenzwalls beauftragt sind, sowie ziviler Grenzschützer, die die erforderlichen, kulturellen Kenntnisse im Umgang mit den ansässigen Stämmen nicht haben , unter großem Druck. Stämme wie die Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) entlang der Grenze zu Kanada erleben ähnliche Probleme mit dem Grenzpersonal. Hier häufen sich Menschenrechtsverletzungen, die insbesondere durch (rassistische) Spannungen zwischen Landrechten und dem Abkommen „Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative“ bedingt sind. Dieses, zwischen Kanada und den USA geschlossene Abkommen tritt am 01. Juni 2009 in Kraft und verletzt möglicherweise im Jay Treaty von 1794 zugesicherte Rechte.

Darüber hinaus werden wir die Rolle Deutschlands und Europas im Zusammenhang mit dem Bergbau in Nevada, der Ölproduktion in Kanada und amerikanischen Sicherheitsbemühungen betrachten.

Auch wird die Frage diskutiert, wie die Obama-Administration die Probleme der indigenen Bevölkerung angeht, insbesondere, da sie begonnen hat, die UN-Deklaration über die Rechte indigener Völker von 2007 zu prüfen. Wird Obama die Politik seiner Vorgänger fortsetzen oder gibt es Hoffnung für Nordamerikas Indianer?

Ebenso stellt sich die Frage wie Kanada mit indigenen Fragestellungen umgehen wird, nachdem sich Premierminister Stephen Harper am 8. Juni 2008 für das an indigenen Völkern in der Ära der Indian Residential Schools begangene Unrecht entschuldigt hat und Amnesty International Kanada mit der Native Women’s Association of Canada im vergangenen Jahr einen Bericht veröffentlicht hat, wonach die Anzahl verschwundener oder ermordeter indianischer Frauen sehr hoch ist.

Vortrag, Diskussion und Dialog sollen vor allem informieren und das Bewusstsein für die Belange der nordamerikanischen indigenen Völker erhöhen. Die Probleme, denen diese Völker gegenwärtig gegenüberstehen, sollen dabei nicht nur vom historischen Standpunkt aus betrachtet werden, sondern es soll aufgezeigt werden wie aktuelle Politik und juristische Verfahren die Souveränität indigener Völker untergraben bzw, nachteilig beeinflussen und wie dadurch eine Atmosphäre kreiert wird, in der Menschenrechte, kulturelle und Stammesrechte sowie Vertragsrechte kontinuierlich verletzt werden.


Der Vortrag und die anschließende Diskussion finden auf Englisch statt.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Am 22. Juni um 19:00 Uhr wird Jessica Ossenbrügge zu Contemporary North American Indigenous Human and Cultural Rights Injustice im Robert Havemann Saal im Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte vortragen und anschließend unsere Fragen beantworten und mit uns diskutieren. Der Vortrag und die Diskussion werden auf englisch stattfinden. Ihr bekommt vorab noch mal eine deutsche Übersetzung der Kernaussagen, die wir auch auslegen werden. Weitere Details folgen demnächst.

Ich freue mich auf den spannenden Vortrag und verbleibe bis bald
mit herzlichen Grüßen
Eure Nina Althoff

Internationale Frauenliga für Frieden und Freiheit - IFFF / Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - WILPF
Deutsche Sektion
Dr. Nina Althoff
Geschäftsführung
althoff@wilpf.de
Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte
Greifswalder Str. 4
10405 Berlin
Webseite: www.wilpf.de

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Seeking Applications for Review of Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies

AIATSIS is currently seeking applications for a three-month project starting around mid- July, to undertake a full review of the AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies (GERIS) and associated materials. The Guidelines were drafted around ten years ago, and have not been comprehensively reviewed since. A copy of the current Guidelines can be found at http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/10534/GERIS_2007.pdf.

The project will examine developments in ethical practices over the past decade and emerging trends for the future, with the aim of delivering a coherent policy document to guide ethical research involving Indigenous peoples over the next 5-10 years.

Salary will depend on experience, but will be in the range $58,707 to $81,162 plus superannuation and leave benefits. The position is based in Canberra, but there may be an opportunity to undertake part of the project away from Canberra. For applicants living outside Canberra, we may consider an additional allowance for living expenses. On-site car parking in Canberra is free.

More detailed information on these vacancies is attached. If, after reading the selection documentation, you require further information, please contact Tony Boxall on 02 6246 1145 or email tony.boxall@aiatsis.gov.au

Applications should be forward to Recruitment at AIATSIS, GPO Box 553, Canberra, 2601 or email: recruitment@aiatsis.gov.au.

The closing date for applications is 26 June 2009.

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Indigenous Pop, Jazz, Rock, Folk, Rap, Hip Hop, and Other Music: Call for Papers

CFP: call for contributors to a new critical collection Indigenous pop jazz, rock, rockabilly, folk, country western, blues, rap, reggae, metal, hip-hop, punk

Edited by Jeff Berglund, Kimberli Lee, and Janis (Jan) Johnson

This proposed collection of criticism examines the understudied and academically underappreciated varieties of musical traditions that emerged in Indigenous communities in Central and North America throughout the twentieth century and that continue to flourish. In particular, we'll trace the transition of musical expression from the era following World War I and beyond, looking at the way that blues, jazz, country/western, rock, rockabilly, folk, reggae, metal, punk, hip hop and rap performers fuse "non-Indigenous" and Indigenous musical modes.

The volume's three editors contend that contemporary musical expression deserves to be studied alongside the greatest works of literature, particularly if we want clear insights into the ways that art, audience and context interrelate in immediate ways; to not consider the impact of music and song is a political act in itself, not merely academic neglect. Our intended audience is the broad, interdisciplinary field of Indigenous Studies as well as American Studies, literary studies, and music studies. We have serious academic press interest.

We're especially interested in discussing the intersection of "tradition" and popular art, intercultural cross-pollinations, commerce, and activism.

We are interested in essays that wrestle with terminologies such as "tradition," "popular," "Indigenous," "post-traditional" and question the ways that tradition is reinvented and passed on. Additionally, we're interested in essays that examine the way performers and their music expand on tribal archives of songwork-including their spiritual and social dimensions-as well as works that foreground how music functions as a form of activism and/or social commentary on the past or the present.

Please send a detailed abstract (at least two pages) with possible sources by September 1, 2009 to Jeff.Berglund@nau.edu.
____________________
Dr. Jeff Berglund
Associate Professor of English &
President's Distinguished Teaching Fellow PO Box 6032 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ 86011-6032

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National Organizations that Serve Minority Communities Initiative to Share Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Eliminate Health Disparities

National Organizations that Serve Minority Communities Initiative to Share Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Eliminate Health Disparities with Local Affiliates & Chapters (MNOs REACH-US)

Eligible Applicants

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Applicant’s Eligibility For this program announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has chosen to limit eligibility to established national organizations that can demonstrate experience working in the health arena and specifically on issues related to health disparities. MNOs must have language in their mission statement defining their population as one of the racial and ethnic minority populations served by REACH US MNOs must have local affiliates and chapters in at least four states and have the ability to reach at least 30% of their target population. Competition is limited to: • Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS status (other than institutions of higher education) • Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS status (other than institutions of higher education) • Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments • Urban Indian health organizations A Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a letter from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with “Other Attachment Forms” when submitting via HYPERLINK "http://www.grants.gov" www.grants.gov. There will be only one award per specific population and one per health priority area.

Agency Name

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2009 funds to support national minority organizations to 1) disseminate evidence-based strategies, tools and best practices to their local affiliates and chapters; and 2) to provide capacity-building technical assistance to local affiliates and chapters to address the growing health disparities among their constituents. The MNOs will work with affiliates or chapters to address specific health disparity areas by supporting the implementation of proven or promising interventions in specific populations. Each MNO will build capacity in communities by working with local affiliates and chapters to share the knowledge, skills, and organizational structure needed for effective leadership and implementation of a health disparities program at the local level. The MNOS will be expected to work with currently funded REACH CEEDs to identify strategies that work locally and highly encouraged to collaborate with the REACH Coalition to disseminate effective interventions.

For more information visit full announcement here.

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June 3-9, 2009: Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues

Five Key Indigenous Peoples Issues for the Week of June 3 - June 9, 2009


Peru: Masacre In The Amazon: Abya Yala North: Solidarity Actions With The Indigenous Peoples Of Peru

....a military action against our relatives of the Peruvian Amazon who have been in resistance against presidential decrees of expropriation of the natural resources of their territories has resulted in a number of casualties and accelerated the crisis of the US-Peru trade agreements as instrument of collusion in the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples.

IEN Condemns Violence in the Peruvian Amazon

The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) condemns the violent attacks on peaceful indigenous blockades in the Peruvian Amazon that has left up to 100 civilians* and 22 police* dead and hundreds injured. IEN recognizes the communiqué of the Indigenous regional organization, the Coordinating Body of Andean Indigenous Organizations (CAOI) calling upon indigenous organizations, social movements and human rights organizations around the world to take concrete action: letters to the Peruvian government, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Inter-American Commission Human Rights, International Labor Organization (ILO Convention 169) calling to immediately send missions to Peru, in order to stop the violence and respect indigenous rights.

CAOI and other reports from Peru are continuing to report the APRA government of Alan García Pérez acting out its repression in the Peruvian Amazon against the Indigenous peoples and its citizens. The human rights crisis illustrates the consequences of a systematic failure in the basic governance processes related to self-determination, land and forest tenure and failures of implementation of policies of consultation and provisions of free, prior and informed consent. Read more on the indigenous protests in Peru here....


Philippines: 100 Tribal Healers Gather For Summit

More than 100 healers from various tribes in the country gathered for the first Indigenous Barefoot Doctors’ National Summit on May 20-21 at the SMX Convention Center at SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.

Garbed in tribal finery, the delegates paraded around the complex on the first day, drawing the attention of mall goers.

With the theme “Indigenous Peoples: Partners in Health and Wellness,” the summit was a venue for the community health workers to share experiences and best practices.

It was also a way for the participants to link up with institutions that could help them address their needs. They also wanted to promote awareness of indigenous peoples and their culture.

The name barefoot doctor refers to non-doctors who have received medical or paramedical training for service in rural communities.

But the so-called barefoot doctors were not in Metro Manila for a cultural feast, but for a serious discussion of health issues that concern their communities, most of which are very remote. Read more about the tribal healers gathering here....


India: Tipaimukh Dam - Development or Destruction

Far away from the idyllic flow of the Tuivai and Tuiruong (Tipaimukh) rivers, authorities cornered in power corridors gave a nod for environmental clearance of the controversial Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric Multipurpose Project.

While South Asia's biggest economy wanted to harness the hydroelectric power, little did the Tipaimukh villagers of the indigenous Hmar people, who would be affected by the foreign decisions, know about the impact of the decisions that has already put a go-ahead stamp for the mega structure to overtake their rivers, land, livelihood, culture and resources.

Their lifeline has been made to cut them off from the channels of representation, which should otherwise be made inevitable when they would be directly affected by the decision that was passed without their knowledge. The power of the decision makers who are not aware about their independent survival cultures would go a long way to usher a turbulent change that would negate the chance of their survival and continuity as people.

Tuiruong, the river that feeds their everyday life, interlinks them with their tribesmen in the upper stream as well as the down stream would be dammned in the name of development that has remain elusive in their life. The indigenous Hmar people, once again, realised that they are being excluded from control over the decisions and regulative institutions that will not only change the course of the river, but also their life. Read more about the Tipaimukh Dam project here....


Nigeria: Shell Settles Human Rights Suit For $15.5 Million

Royal Dutch Shell agreed to a $15.5 million settlement Monday to end a lawsuit alleging that the oil giant was complicit in the executions of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other civilians by Nigeria's former military regime.

Shell, which continues to operate in Nigeria, said it agreed to settle the lawsuit in hopes aiding the "process of reconciliation." But Europe's largest oil company acknowledged no wrongdoing in the 1995 hanging deaths of six people, including Saro-Wiwa.

"This gesture also acknowledges that, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place, the plaintiffs and others have suffered," Malcolm Brinded, Shell's Executive Director Exploration & Production, said in a statement.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York claimed Shell colluded with the country's former military government to silence environmental and human rights activists in the country's Ogoni region. The oil-rich district sits in the southern part of Nigeria and is roughly the size of San Antonio. Shell started operating there in 1958. Read more about Shell's settlement here....


New Zealand: Speech Notes: Shearer - Discussion on Super City

In the last few weeks I have been travelling around the communities of Mt Albert.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people.

And the theme that has come up again and again is that Mt Albert people want this to be about communities.

We have been listening to people while others came in and played politics.

The difference between us and them is that the others wouldn’t listen to what the community wanted.

They imposed their motorway.

And they wouldn’t let the community have a say on the future of the Super City.

This is about listening and about strong communities.

I support strong regional government, but I also support a form of government that makes for stronger communities.

A giant super city with no adequate community representation won’t work for communities.

A strong layer of regional government is needed for regional parks.

It’s needed for an integrated transport system - one where you can buy a single ticket to get across the city on a train, bus or ferry.

A transport system that better uses our rail corridors and moves more commuter traffic off roads.

This is the strong regional government that I support.

It’s not what we’ve been given in the government’s proposal. Read more of the speech here....

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

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Capacity Building through Human Rights Training: Indigenous Peoples in the International Arena

International Indian Treaty Council presents

Capacity Building through Human Rights Training: Indigenous Peoples in the International Arena

Thursday, June 25, 9 A.M. – 5 P.M. and Friday, June 26, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M.
Riverwind Hotel, Norman, Oklahoma

After more than 20 years of work, the United Nations (UN) approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on September 13, 2007. What does that mean to Native Nations in Oklahoma? How can tribes and communities use UN Human Rights bodies to defend our rights and support our issues? Join us for an in-depth presentation on how Indigenous Peoples can participate effectively at the international level.

Presenters:
Andrea Carmen (Yaqui Nation), Executive Director International Indian Treaty Council, Palmer, AK

Ronald Lameman (Beaver Lake Cree First Nation,) Executive Director Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, Alberta, Canada

Alberto Saldamando (Zapoteca), General Counsel International Indian Treaty Council

Lodging:
Chickasaw Nation’s Riverwind Hotel, 2901 Bankers Ave., Norman, OK. For hotel reservations call (405) 322-6250. Be sure to mention the Human Rights Training for room discounts. Lunch provided.

For more information/pre-registration, contact:
Jackie Warledo, (405) 382-1223 jackie@treatycouncil.org
Rodney Factor, (405) 398-4044 okonemekko@gmail.com
Andrea Carmen, (907) 841-7758, andrea@treatycouncil.org

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Fourth Annual Doña Predicanda Perea Traditional Medicine Gathering

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

KALPULLI-IZKALLI’S

PROMOTORAS TRADICIONALES AND THE CIHUAPAHTLI APPRENTICESHIP PROJECT

ANNOUNCE OUR 4TH ANNUAL

DONA PREDICANDA PEREA ENCUENTRO DE MEDICINA TRADICIONAL

(FOURTH Annual Doña Predicanda Perea Traditional Medicine Gathering)

Saturday, September 5, 2009,

9:00am – 3:00pm

The Westside Community Center

(1250 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, nm, .25 miles south of Bridge and Isleta)

The Kalpulli Izkalli and the Promotoras Tradicionales Project is honored to invite the community of Albuquerque and surrounding areas to the FOURTH annual Doña Predicanda Perea Encuentro de Medicina Tradicional, a community healing event. The gathering will include Aztec and Native American ceremonial leaders and dancers conducting Blessing / Healing Ceremonies in honor of local community healers, Mexican healers, Native American Healers and young and apprenticing healers, as well as talking circles to “pass on the knowledge to our next generation.” Special recognition will be given to Dona Predicanda Perea who has been caring for those that are left out of the mainstream health care systems because of poverty, lack of insurance as well as linguistic and cultural differences for more than fifty years. There will be more than 30 healers from New Mexico and Mexico offering therapeutic massages, sobadas tradicionales, body work, limpias (spiritual cleansings), Reiki (energy healing), acupuncture, and other healing modalities. Anemia screenings, high blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings, a Children’s tent with fun activities, information booths, informational presentations, and food and entertainment by local talent and youth will be a part of the festivities on that day.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 452-9208 Please leave a message and someone will return your call.

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Writing Contest for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and American Indians: Native Insight

Native Insight: Thoughts on Recession, Recovery & Opportunity is a writing competition crafted to tap the wisdom and ingenuity of Native communities, and to encourage Native thinkers to go public with their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of our economic and political landscape.

Sixty thousand dollars will be distributed among three Alaska Native winners and three Native Hawaiian/Lower 48 winners, with opportunities for their winning essays to be published in Native journals and magazines across the United States.

The competition is open to Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and American Indians of all ages. Essays of 500-1,600 words are due Sept. 15.

Essays must address one or more of three writing prompts focused on how the Native community can support economic renewal, what it will take for the American economy to rebound, and what the American leadership can do to jump-start recovery.

For more information, visit www.nativeinsight.org.

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Rights of Indigenous Peoples - Second Session at OHCHR

To submit a paper, formal statement, or expert mechanism that will be heard during the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Second Session on Indigenous Peoples, one must apply for expert mechanism status. Below is the information on how to do this.

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - Second session

Date and venue

The second session will take place from 10 to 14 August 2009, in Room XX of the Palais des Nations, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland. For the participation to this session, please consult the information below on participation and the accreditation page.

Documentation

The documentation of the second will be prepared and placed on this webpage.

- Provisional agenda

General documentation on the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including on its first session, can be found under the documentation page.

Agenda

Study on lessons learned and challenges to achieve the implementation on the right of indigenous peoples to education

At the second session, an agenda item will be the presentation by the Expert Mechanism of the advanced draft of the Study on lessons learned and challenges to achieve the implementation on the right of indigenous peoples to education. For this item, the Expert Mechanism will welcome, from the participants during the session, comments and observations on the advanced draft to be taken into account before the Expert Mechanism adopts the final version of the study.

Call for written contributions to the discussion on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Expert Mechanism has included in the agenda of its second session an item on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the following specific themes: (a) Implementation of the Declaration at the regional and national levels and (b) adjudication, remedies, repatriation, redress and compensation.

The Expert Mechanism is inviting observers to submit written contributions on this agenda item prior to its second session. Pursuant resolution 6/36 establishing the Expert Mechanism, observers include States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and mechanisms in the field of human rights, national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodices, academics and experts on indigenous issues, non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples’ organizations.

The contributions, to be submitted preferably in English, French or Spanish, will be made available in the Conference room in the language of submission. The deadline for submitting written contributions is 15 July 2009. Please send them to the following address: expertmechanism@ohchr.org.

Meetings with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people

The Special Rapporteur will be invited to participate in the second session of the Expert Mechanism. During the session, the Special Rapporteur will dedicate two days - Tuesday and Wednesday, 11-12 August 2009 - for meetings with indigenous representatives who wish to submit information on allegations of human rights violations. For indications on how to present information to the Special Rapporteur, please consult the following webpage:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/rapporteur/submit.htm.

The registration for these meetings with the Special Rapporteur will be open during the first day of the session, 10 August 2009. Location and time will be indicated at the session. Participants may only sign up for a meeting with the Special Rapporteur in person during the session of the Expert Mechanism.

Celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

As the 9th of August (Sunday) is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, the Expert Mechanism will celebrate this day on the 10 August 2009, at the opening of its second session.

Lunch time events and exhibitions

During the session, from Tuesday to Friday (from 11 to 14 August 2009) lunch time events can be organized from 13:15 to 14:45. Due to the limited availability of rooms, only two lunch time events can take place each day.

The Expert Mechanism is encouraging the organization of lunch time events that contribute to its mandate and more specifically to the agenda of the session, in particular in relation to the right of indigenous peoples to education and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

If your organization is interested in organizing such an event, please send a request to expertmechanism@ohchr.org by 15 July 2009 with the following information: the name of the organizers, the title of the lunch time event, the preferred day and any technical requirements (subject to availability). Confirmation will be sent by the secretariat at the latest on 20 July 2009. The requests will be considered in the order in which they will be received.

Exhibitions can also be proposed and will be accommodated, subject to the availability of space. The Expert Mechanism encourages the exhibitions to contribute to its mandate and more specifically to the agenda of the session. For any additional information, please contact the Secretariat: expertmechanism@ohchr.org, by 15 July 2009.

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