Welcome to the United Nations
Addressee: Member States, indigenous peoples, NGOs, private sector, academia, media
Full Text
The Permanent Forum hails the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly. The 13th of September 2007 is a historic day for the United Nations, indigenous peoples and States and marks the beginning of a new era of renewed partnerships for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all indigenous peoples and each indigenous person around the world. The Forum notes its new responsibility under the Declaration and pledges its commitment to making it a living document throughout its work. The Forum thus invites the international community as a whole, States, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academia and the media to promote the Declaration and apply it in their policies and programmes for the improvement of indigenous peoples’ well-being around the world
Responses
Several States, agencies and NGOs have reported on initiatives to promote the Declaration .
The Government of Namibia reports: 5. The Government of Namibia just recently signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and is looking forward to
suggestions from and constructive dialogue with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to promote respect for and full application of the provisions of the Declaration.
The Government of Mexico reports: 24. A first step towards the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the dissemination of its content. Accordingly, a campaign is under way to disseminate the substantive articles of the Declaration through the CDI System of Indigenous Culture Radio Stations and the publication of a pocket edition. Similarly, there is the translation into indigenous languages that CDI is having done in coordination with INALI and the offices in Mexico of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Information Centre and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 25. At the end of 2008 the translations into Maya and Nahuatl had been published, and they will be distributed in 2009. The completed translations in the process of being published are in Tzeltal, Chol, Mazahua, Huasteca Nahuatl, Northern Chinantec, Isthmus Zapotec and Western Huasteca Nahuatl. In 2009, 20 translations into the most widely spoken and written indigenous languages are expected to be completed. 26. In the context of international cooperation between CDI and UNDP, there are plans to combine the distribution of the translations of the Declaration into indigenous languages with seminars on indigenous rights aimed at the indigenous peoples and communities of Mexico. 27. It is seen as important to ensure, through regional expert meetings, follow up on the results of the international expert group meeting on the role of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in the implementation of article 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reports
10. The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has ratified the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Constitution has reaffirmed in that regard the attachment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to human rights and fundamental freedoms such as those proclaimed by the international legal instruments to which it has acceded. 11. Pursuant to article 42 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum could engage in a constructive dialogue with Member States in order to promote respect for and full application of the provisions of the Declaration by establishing monitoring mechanisms to reiterate its unequivocal interest in that subject. Such action could only be taken with the indispensable support of the international community.
The Government of Bolivia reports: 26. The Bolivian Government upholds international standards such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted in September 2007 at the sixty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly and subsequently approved by the Bolivian legislature and promulgated by President Evo Morales Ayma under Law No. 3760. 27. On 25 January 2009 the authorities held a constitutional referendum in which more than 61 per cent of the votes were in favour of the adoption of the new Constitution, which reflects the spirit of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The report refers at several articles of the new Bolivia's Constitution
The Government of Spain emphasizes its commitment to Article 42 of the Declaration and reports on hosting an EGM on the role of UN mechanisms on indigenous issues in implementing the Declaration (Madird 4-6 February 2009).
Final Report of UNPFII Session 7 (2008)
Area of Work
