High-level commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
17 May 2012, New York
Excellencies,
Esteemed representatives of indigenous peoples,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to join you in celebrating the first five years of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Since
its adoption, the Declaration has been met with great enthusiasm by
indigenous peoples and others committed to advancing human rights all
over the world. It has been called “a triumph for justice and human
dignity”, a “historic opportunity”, and a document giving rise to great
expectations “which should not and must not be betrayed”.
Why
such excitement? What sets this Declaration apart from those
international texts and declarations that remain largely unknown and
unused outside the walls of the international organizations that created
them?
The answer lies, I believe, in both the drafting process and content of the Declaration.
First,
the process: It was long -- lasting more than 20 years -- but it was
truly inclusive. The Declaration was not imposed or dictated by anyone:
indigenous peoples and State representatives built it together. This
partnership created broad ownership of the results. As Les Malezer, the
then-Chair of the Global Indigenous Caucus said at the time of the
adoption “the Declaration does not represent solely the viewpoint of the
United Nations, nor does it represent solely the viewpoint of the
Indigenous Peoples. It is a Declaration which combines our views and
interests and which sets the framework for the future.” True, there were
some doubters, but now also those Member States that voted against the
Declaration back in 2007 have endorsed it.
Second, the content
of the Declaration: While built on non-discrimination and other binding
human rights standards, the Declaration provides significantly more
details in areas that are essential to the dignity and survival of
indigenous peoples. Through a combination of individual and collective
rights, the Declaration provides crucial guarantees against relocation
of indigenous peoples from their lands without their free, prior and
informed consent, against forced assimilation and against exclusion from
decision-making, while requiring support for indigenous peoples’ own
educational institutions and decision-making structures as well as
protection of their cultural heritage. I could go on.
The enthusiasm is, therefore, well merited.
Yet,
even as we celebrate the accomplishment that is the Declaration, we
must also remember that for most indigenous peoples, the reality has
nothing to do with these laudable standards. As the High Commissioner
for Human Rights has stated, “it is one thing to have proclaimed the
Declaration, and it is quite another to see it implemented”. While the
Declaration has inspired a number of promising new initiatives ranging
from consultative structure to laws devoted to indigenous peoples,
overall indigenous peoples in all regions of the world remain amongst
the most marginalized and impoverished, frequently victims of
discrimination and excluded from decision-making. Land grabs and
ever-increasing dispossession of ancestral lands, territories and
resources threatens their cultural and physical integrity, with
indigenous women often the first ones to suffer.
Many
indigenous representatives in this hall today will continue to witness
and experience such human rights violations. Everyone in this hall
should work actively to combat them.
The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights accompanied and supported the process of
drafting the Declaration. We are now equally committed, together with
the mechanisms established by the Human Rights Council, the Special
Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, to accompanying and supporting efforts to fill
the implementation gaps that remain wide and frequent. This is not only
our intention but an obligation under Article 42 of the Declaration.
We
must do this in the same spirit of partnership that gave birth to the
Declaration, ensuring that indigenous peoples have not only a voice but
true influence in the decision-making. We need to live up to the motto
‘nothing about us without us’. This must be the case at the national
level but also in international processes, and good examples of this --
ranging from the work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to the
United Nations Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership -- need to be expanded
and replicated. This spirit of partnership must also be built into the
preparation and content of the forthcoming World Conference on
Indigenous Peoples in 2014.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a remarkable
document, the global expression of the rights of indigenous peoples. It
is also our shared tool. We should put it to a maximum use.
Today
we should certainly commemorate the achievements made so far but we
should also look at the many challenges ahead. It is thus important to
use this 5th anniversary to renew our commitment to the implementation
of the Declaration so that in five years when we gather to mark the 10th
anniversary we may celebrate the increased impact that it has had in
the daily lives of indigenous peoples around the world. Let us breathe
life into this Declaration and carry it forward into a new era of hope
and justice for indigenous peoples throughout the world.
Thank you.
