REMARKS BY ARTHUR MANUEL
INDIGENOUS NETWORK ON ECONOMIES AND TRADE (INET)
UNPFII
MONDAY MAY 19
I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY CONGRATULATING DALEE SAMBO DOROUGH
ON HER ELECTION AS THE NEW CHAIR OF THE FORUM, AND TO THANK THE FORUM FOR
GIVING ME A CHANCE TO SPEAK.
WHEN I FIRST HEARD THAT THE UNITED NATIONS WAS HOLDING A
CONFERENCE UNDER THE NAME OF WORLD CONFERENCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES I WAS
HOPEFUL. I KNEW THAT IT DEPENDED ON THE GOOD WILL OF STATES BUT I UNDERSTOOD
THAT A UN CONFERENCE WAS A MAJOR EVENT— LIKE PAST UN CONFERENCES ON IMPORTANT
ISSUES THAT TOOK PLACE OVER TEN-DAY PERIODS AND ATTRACTED MORE THAN 10,000
DELEGATES. THESE UN CONFERENCES PUT TOGETHER ACTION PLANS OF TWO OR THREE
HUNDRED ITEMS TO ENSURE THE WORLD HEARD THEIR CALLS FOR JUSTICE.
I WAS ALSO PLEASED THAT THE ACRONYM FOR THE INDIGENOUS
CONFERENCE WAS TO BE W.C.I.P.
IT WAS THE SAME ONE THAT MY FATHER’S GENERATION HAD USED IN
ESTABLISHING THE GROUND-BREAKING WORLD COUNCIL OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN 1975. I
HOPED THAT MEANT THE SAME SPIRIT OF HOPE AND INDEPENDENCE FOR OUR PEOPLES THAT
WAS SIGNALLED BY THE WORLD COUNCIL WOULD BE WITH US IN THIS WORLD CONFERENCE.
BUT AS WE HAVE LEARNED MORE AND MORE ABOUT THIS CONFERENCE,
WE HAVE SEEN IT IS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. IN FACT, IT
IS WORSE THAN A DISAPPOINTMENT. IT IS AN INSULT TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.
THE WORLD CONFERENCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WILL NOT BE A
CONFERENCE WHERE WE ARE PLACED AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD’S AGENDA FOR A WEEK OF
SERIOUS EXAMINATION OF OUR ISSUES. WHERE WE AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CAN PUT
TOGETHER AN ACTION PLAN TO BEGIN REPAIRING THE DAMAGE OF 500 YEARS OF
COLONIALISM.
NO. THIS WILL BE A HURRIED HALF-DAY, NOT REALLY A CONFERENCE
AT ALL, BUT MORE A SIMPLE PLENARY SESSION, UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL OF MANY OF
THE SAME STATES WHO HAVE, AND CONTINUE TO OPPRESS OUR PEOPLES.
INSTEAD OF A SERIOUS UN CONFERENCE, WE ARE BEING OFFERED A
HURRIED GENUFLECTION AT THE ALTER OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, A SHORT HOMILY FROM OUR
OPPRESSORS AND THEN MOVING ON, NOT ONLY WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS INITIATIVES BUT
WITHOUT EVEN ANY SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS.
THIS SO-CALLED WORLD CONFERENCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IS A
PERPETUATION OF A REALITY THAT HAS LEFT 370 MILLION OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLES AT
THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER, WITH GENOCIDAL FORCES STILL SQUEEZING US SOCIALLY,
CULTURALLY AND POLITICALLY. IN OUR DAILY FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
ASK FOR A DIALOGUE WITH THE WORLD, FOR RESPECT OF OUR RIGHT TO DETERMINE OUR
OWN FUTURE AND TO SAFE-GUARD OUR TRADITIONAL LANDS. THIS CONFERENCE OFFERS NONE
OF THIS THINGS.
THIS FAKE WCIP IS AN INSULT TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. MY LATE
FATHER GEORGE MANUEL WOULD BE DEEPLY OFFENDED THAT THE THIS FAKE INTERNATIONAL
WORLD CONFERENCE WOULD BEAR THE ACRONYM OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES.
LET THE UNITED NATIONS CALL THIS SEPTEMBER MEETING WHAT IT
IS—A HIGH PLENARY SESSION ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES. AND RESERVE THE NAME OF THE
WORLD CONFERENCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FOR A TRUE WORLD CONFERENCE THAT WE
WOULD LIKE TO BUILD TOGETHER WITH THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD: A REAL WORLD
CONFERENCE DESIGNED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES THEMSELVES TO MEET OUR VERY REAL AND
VERY URGENT NEEDS. THE SEPTEMBER MEETING IS NONE OF THESE THINGS.
