UNITED
NATIONS PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
Eleventh
Session, May 7-18, 2012, New York City
Agenda Item 7: Half-day
discussion on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
Statement of the
North American Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus on the World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
I am making this intervention on behalf of the North
American Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus.
My brother, Chief Randy Kapashesit, a traditional chief of the Mocreebec
Council of the Cree Nation, was selected to represent our region in the global
Indigenous coordinating committee.
My brother passed away suddenly and I am here to deliver this statement
in his honor.
At our regional preparatory meeting held March 10-11, 2012,
our delegates discussed the UN General Assembly resolution on the 2014 UN World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples and report from the brainstorming meeting of
Indigenous individuals held in January 2012 in Copenhagen hosted by the Saami
Parliament.
Delegates discussed a high level of concern related to
structure of the World Conference as a high level plenary rather than that of
other world conferences and summits that allow for full-scale preparatory
meetings and greater levels of participation by Indigenous Peoples.
Delegates also expressed concern about the remoteness of the
next proposed global Indigenous preparatory meeting to be held in Alta, Norway
in June 2013, preferring a location that is more accessible to all Indigenous
Peoples. Our delegates agreed that
alternative strategies to address the rights of Indigenous Peoples also need to
be pursued.
The NAIPC selected our principal North American
Representatives to the Indigenous global coordinating group on the World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
Further, the NAIPC withholds endorsement of any individual as a co-facilitator
to the WCIP at this time.
