UCTP Participation at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

UCTP Participation at the 13^th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)

June 6th, 2014

By: Tai Pelli

Kasike Múkaro Borrero and Tai "AnaYuísa" Pelli  at the United Nations Headquarters, NY

The 13^th Session for the UNPFII was scheduled for May 12^th, 2014 through May 23^rd, 2014. As we have for many years, the UCTP was an active participant.

This year, Kasike Múkaro Borrero and myself had the opportunity to be part of Tribal Link’s Project Access Team for the Global Capacity Building Training, coordinated to take place from May 7^th, through May 9^th, with a final evaluation meeting to be held on May 16^th, 2014. We worked along participants chosen from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Central America /South America/ Caribbean and North American Regions.

Although I do not intend to address all the things our Kasike has been working on this past year, I do want to stress two key elements; Post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals and Protection of Sacred Sites. During the Training, he spoke about the importance of indigenous peoples’ engagement in the process of the Post 2015 Development Goals, since after this, it will be approximately 15 years before the issue is brought to the table again at the United Nations.

As one of the Leaders handling the development of Interventions to be presented by Project Access at the Permanent Forum, I decided to work on an intervention related to the Post 2015 –Development Goals which was one of the items on the UNPFII agenda. My team had representatives from Africa, the Pacific, Asia and Latin America & the Caribbean Regions, although the issues we present/ the message require the approval of all members of Project Access,  given the fact that the individual organizations we represent sign on supporting the intervention itself. This was an excellent opportunity to emphasize on the importance of: knowing the mandate of the UNPFII, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC), and the Right to Self-determination. Our chosen reader (Lucia Owies from South Africa) was able to read the impactful intervention to the Forum.

I also was designated as the Reader for an intervention on the Report of the Expert Group Meeting on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Although I did not get an opportunity to read on the floor, the intervention was submitted to the Permanent Forum.

In addition, I worked on another intervention along with Berenice Sánchez, Nahuat – Otomí, from Mexico, regarding “Environmental Racism” under the agenda Item for Human Rights. I exposed the situation in Arecibo with the incinerators and the contamination of air, soil, life, including the lead contamination of 140 children from a nearby Head Start Program.

I also participated at the Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus and the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus as well as several Side events, particularly on Environmental Violence by the International Treaty Council  and Sacred Sites by Tribal Link which Kasike Múkaro moderated.

The issues regarding the High Level Plenary Meeting (HLPM) to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) has been one to create much turmoil and confusion. Although Indigenous Peoples kept waiting for concise information from the President of the General Assembly (PGA), that did not happen. On the last day of the forum, May 23^rd, we all awaited this information and after having been told of a message to be given us by the PGA’s representative, it was just a statement to say that they still had no consensus from the states (governments). Russia, India and apparently some African states were opposing the full, effective and equal participation of Indigenous Peoples. A number of states read statements to the PGA representative in support of Indigenous Peoples. The North American Region has withdrawn totally form this process. The main concern being that this meeting will end up with an outcome document and without the equal full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in this process, no one will know for sure what will end up being on that outcome document and how it will impact Indigenous Peoples in the future.

On December 3^rd, 2013, I was selected to be the Negotiating Team Representative for the Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus. The Negotiating Team, to be composed of 10 members, one for each of the United Nations Designated Regions of the World, one for the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus (GIPC), one for the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC) and one for the Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus (GIWC), is a Team that is to Negotiate with states and diplomats so that the Alta Outcome Document be supported as well as in the case of the GIWC, the Lima Declaration on the World Conference of Indigenous Women. These documents were prepared by Indigenous Peoples of the World and Indigenous Women of the World, and the items contained therein are of the essence to ensure Indigenous Peoples Rights in the Outcome Document of the HLPM/WCIP.

Upon my return from the UNPFII, I had to go through a number of tests and due to my medical condition, it was with great regret that I resigned from my position as Negotiating Team Representative for the Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus, since my 4 month assignment in NY conflicts with the treatment I will be receiving. Still, I consider that the selection in itself was a great milestone for us to reach as Caribbean Indigenous Peoples. I received the support of Women from all parts of the World, which is very humbling as a Taíno Woman.

In closing, it has also been very humbling to see that our efforts and hard work have not been in vain and that the issues we are working on, are of international concern. We must continue working hand in hand with our Indigenous brothers and sisters of the world for the defense of our Indigenous, Human and Environmental Rights and Justice.

Realities on Indigenous and Human Rights through the eyes and heart of our Youth

Víctor Anthony López-Carmen – Realities on Indigenous and Human Rights through the eyes and heart of our Youth

June 5, 2014

By: Tai Pelli

Jemimah Lemerketo,  Víctor A. López-Carmen, and Doreen Bennet on their second day of Project Access Training

What a lively personality! One of those people that the second you see them, you are just engaged by their contagious energy and great attitude! Víctor Anthony López-Carmen, is a Crow Creek and Yaqui young man. The minute I saw him, I could also tell he was thirsty for knowledge, had great disposition, was kind with his peers and grasping everything that was going on in his surroundings. He did not want to miss a thing! He was to be the youngest participant in Project Access Global Capacity Building Training and eventually the youngest at the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus.

This curly-haired handsome young man, could have chosen to brag about his connections within the Indigenous movement at the United Nations, after all, his aunt is a well-known indigenous, human and environmental rights advocate who has dedicated over 40 years to the movement, but Víctor is not that way at all. Quite the contrary, this young man is very humble. He is a freshman at Ithaca College in New York, studying Medicine with a Minor in Native American Studies. Victor is also a Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar at Ithaca College, a very prestigious and competitive position that allows for recipients to travel and perform independent research in an area of their interest. Víctor has chosen to research health of Indigenous Peoples, access to healthcare and the interconnection between health and their sovereignty as Indigenous Peoples.

On his first day at Project Access, he addressed his peers as if he had known them forever. He spoke calmly yet enthusiastically. It was here when I first noticed that thirst for knowledge. I saw him ready to learn and absorb all there was to be learned like a sponge! He spoke about: his desire to work with the youth in his community, the importance of the revitalization of Language and the Preservation of Culture.

The training in Project Access is intense and time is always of the essence, every minute is important and the preparation process requires many dedicated hours, (day and night), in order for participants to be ready with the interventions that would be presented at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues session on behalf of Project Access and the different organizations within represented. Victor worked diligently with his intervention team. He also participated proactively in the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and was chosen to be the reader of one their interventions at the Forum.

By the opening of the 13^th session of the UNPFII, on May 12^th, 2014, we had seen the first transformation. This one was physical. The curly hair was gone and he had a conventional haircut that projected the first sign of the many changes that were taking place within Víctor. He now looked more mature, more serious, although maintaining his kind, approachable personality and pleasant look in his face.

As we were walking towards the UN, from the hotel most of us were staying at, I caught up with Víctor. I wanted to know about his experience so far. His answer was definitely not one I expected. He touched on something I had experience years earlier, and something I know many of us get to experience as we learn more and more about the current realities of Indigenous Peoples of the World and the number of human rights violations that seem unending. Was I waiting for the: “Everything is so great! I am so excited. So much to learn!”? His reply was: “It is great, but it is very emotional. I was not prepared for that.” I noticed the change in his face as he said this. His words made me wonder if I had become hardened in some way. For I know we see and hear of things that the media does not publicize, things that are unfolded openly during these couple of weeks in New York, by representatives of communities that are being destroyed, displaced, abused, killed, starved, raped, just to name a few. His eyes did not seem like those of the young man, he had seen something that touched his very soul. Victor had grown years within a matter of a few days.

I saw how important it is to keep that in mind. As advocates of Indigenous, Human and Environmental Rights, we come in touch with images, information, or hear first hand stories that are heart-wrenching. No, it is not that I had become hardened, or any of us for that matter, much less over-sensitivity on Víctor’s part. It is called “humanity”. It is the process that makes us more determined to do what we must, to contribute to the many causes, to network in a fashion that we become a strong global force for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples, Humanity and Mother Earth, while having to balance our own emotions and our own humanity, opening the eyes wider, perhaps to hide the tears and pursing our lips, when the images become too much to bear.

On our final meeting, I listened to Victor speak about his overall experience. He had learned many things, among the simplest, that Indigenous Peoples are not limited to the America’s, a perception that millions if not more have, just like a few years back, also in Project Access,  Mama Anna Naramat, (Ogiek Tribe from Kenya, Africa)  spoke about she was shocked that there were Indigenous Peoples that were fair-skinned, for her impression had been that Indigenous Peoples were shades of brown only! A sign that there is much to be done globally when it comes to Education, starting with the very basic. There are approximately over 370 million Indigenous Peoples in the world and although most are facing the same challenges, they come in different colors and shapes.

His experience in Project Access was one that allowed him to communicate effectively with people who have been in the UN system for longer, yet he found he was able to speak at the same level. He was grateful for the opportunity afforded him as a participant as he was able to help others with their own interventions, precisely because of the knowledge he had acquired through Project Access Global Capacity Building Training.

I observed him during our farewell party. I watched his dynamics with his peers, smiling, and sharing stories. The image of the curly-haired young man had now dissipated. I did see a different person, one with the same kind heart and spirit, but one who had matured much during the past couple of weeks. As we said our goodbyes, I realized that this young man who now had short hair, and wore a tie, would become one of the very few; a compassionate doctor that will never forget where and who he came from, one who will never lose his humanity, for he will always be reminded of the realities that touched his heart, that time in May 2014, when he was a young man,  where he was chosen to participate in a training that would prepare him to attend and be a voice for Indigenous Peoples at the United Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Those same people that inspired him for his selected studies in the first place!

 

Víctor A. Lopez-Carmen during Farewell Party

Israel Batz Ajquiy; From planting seeds to planting Awareness on Reproductive and Sexual Health

By: Tai Pelli 

May 27^th, 2014

Israel Batz Ajquiy

When I asked about where he was from, the Mayan-Caqchikel dynamic young man, promptly responded with a wide grin, he was from Tecpán, known as “The first Capital of Guatemala”. He went on to explain that Tecpán had been founded on July 25^th 1524, but had been the capital of the Caqchikel Empire. The place is known for “Las Ruinas de Iximche”, a Mayan archeological site and ceremonial center. “Iximche” means corn stalk, (ixim means corn, che means stalk), an interesting detail when for time immemorial, corn has been the main source of nourishment for the inhabitants of these lands.

It is no wonder Israel Batz Ajquiy, has been actively working with CEPRODI (Centro de Proyectos de Desarrollo Indígena Integral –Center for Integral Indigenous Development Projects ). His organization is dedicated to promoting Food Sovereignty, based on organic products and the creation of gardens in a family context, soil preservation and the defense of Mother Earth by reinforcing traditional knowledge and practices. They serve an approximate ten communities with about 300 families each.

Israel’s communities have been impacted adversely with malnutrition due to the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) in their corn. The government promotes it as “bettered corn”. Illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, etc., are on the rise as a consequence of the loss of knowledge on traditional food production methods and instead, replaced with the consumption of these modified seeds for their four corns: black, red, yellow and white, their beans: red, black and white. and the use of chemicals and non-organic herbicides.

The minimum salary has been established as 2,500 quetzals, yet due to the lack of jobs, many community members take on jobs that will pay them 1,800 quetzals, which is way below the minimum. A huge hurdle for his organization, is the fact that even when the residents have great interest in taking part in the workshops, the need to work in order to support themselves and their families takes precedence. The community members who have a legitimate interest in changing their situation end up between a rock and a hard place, left with no time to attend the workshops that would teach them how to create their own organic gardens which in turn would allow for healthier lives and give them some type of economic independence. The vicious cycle that distance them from attaining food sovereignty is then perpetuated.

This young man made it to Project Access Global Capacity Building Training, with the full intention of addressing the importance of Food Sovereignty and how to create ways that empower Indigenous Peoples to take charge of their own destiny and health. He addressed the value in teaching communities about being proactive at reinstating their own traditional knowledge in a family setting, and how to free themselves from below-standards economic conditions. Israel also spoke about the importance of preserving language in Indigenous communities. Yet, during the two weeks of Project Access Training and his participation in the first week of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Israel learned about the “Report of the International Expert Group Meeting on Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights”, and through Side Events was able to truly see how imperative awareness and being proactive on Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues are.

When I spoke with this young man, I saw a true transformation in his thought process, a compassionate desire to bring back this newly acquired knowledge to his community and start planting the seeds of awareness. I saw the impact of the realities many of us have seen up close when we start learning about what issues are affecting Indigenous communities worldwide. One may come to the United Nations with a couple of issues, never realizing how those same issues are multiplied throughout the globe, making it clear it is not exclusive to a particular community but is a common denominator among indigenous communities. One can also see the impact not doing anything could have. I believe this is what I saw in Israel. He felt the urge to run the curtain, I saw his legitimate interest in returning to Guatemala and begin a process of Sexual Education, not wanting the conditions of women and girls in the communities he serves, to reach the devastating results other communities are experiencing.

To me, to see this young man, from a country that has endured the patriarchal ways of the tentacles of colonization, have this sincere desire to bring back this knowledge and want to apply it, was heartwarming. I have no doubt that Israel will be teaching about planting way more than organic seeds of corn and beans, he will be planting the seeds of hope and equality, he will empower both women and men.

When I asked him if he could put in a statement the message he wants to bring forth, he looked at me in the eyes, and with this incredibly sincere and humble look in his face, he replied: “That the rights of women be respected in Guatemala, …that they not be pushed to the side!” As a woman, I realized I was being witness to a spiritual transformation and a representation of hope for our future!

UN Informal Consultation Meeting HLPM/WCIP

My take on the Informal Consultation Meeting at the UN for the outcome of the High Level Plenary Meeting to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

June 2^nd, 2014

By: Tai Pelli

The concept of Free, Prior, Informed Consent, has to be applied to the High Level Plenary Meeting (HLPM) to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). For one, we all know that we have ended up making this long statement of clarification every time we refer to it, because the “World Conference” is not a conference at all, but a High level plenary meeting.

The modalities resolution calls for the full, effective and equal participation of Indigenous Peoples, yet, one would think they were thinking “dance and cultural presentations only”, not actual issues pertinent to Indigenous Peoples, and that is what has created this massive tangling  and knots of chords! It seems that some states (governments) were not prepared to hear Indigenous Peoples speak from an equal position and that has gotten them pretty antsy. Obstacles to full, effective and equal participation have been thrown in over and over, which of course results in decisions that come at the last minute and that impact that same full, effective and equal participation that should be upheld at all times. Really, if the United Nations General Assembly does not uphold the minimum standards addressed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; how in the world are we expecting individual states to follow through with what they choose to call a “moral obligation”, although in reality is based on many international treaties and conventions protected under International Law?

Let’s take Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC). Picture this: NYC, May 28^th, 2014. President of the General Assembly calls for an Informal Consultation Meeting on the outcome of the HLPM/WCIP to be held on June 2^nd, 2014, less than a week; for those traveling from real faraway places, it is as if they already needed to have the suitcase ready and the plane motor running! For one, internet access is not the same in every country. Some people were expected to respond within less than 24 hours to have their travel arrangements made. This meeting was open to all Indigenous Peoples, etc., the truth is; how could anyone think that there would be a good global turnout in such short notice (especially if self-funded) unless that was the idea! When I was explained the FPIC, it involved “Time”, plenty of time. Something we have not seen here. As a matter of fact, we have not seen much of anything other than a perpetual procrastination of a process that in order for it to be considered wholesome and one that provided for full, effective and equal participation should have been given the proper time in all avenues.

Now we have the HLPM on top of us, and what we see if that their lack of planning HAS become an Emergency for Indigenous Peoples! It should have not been that way, and it is wrong. Today’s Informal Consultation should have definitely been planned with way more than 6 days in advance. To make it worse, the intentions of ending the meeting at midday, did not look good at all. It did not show good faith, although we received an additional 42 minutes in the afternoon, after several Indigenous Leaders spoke up.

It is clear that there is NO Full, effective, equal participation here. Indigenous Peoples from around the Globe need to be very vigilant of this entire process. It is key that the Alta Outcome Document as well as the Lima Declaration of the World Conference of Indigenous Women and those issues presented by IP’s with disabilities, etc. be included in the outcome document. We all know that if they (states) could turn back time and oppose the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and hold off on it , as they did for over 20 years, they would. We cannot compromise any of the steps forward Indigenous Peoples have been able to make with great effort and sacrifice up to this day,  in a meeting called “World Conference” that would last a day and a half!