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Addressee: Member States, UN system
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Follow the principle of free, prior and informed consent at all levels and take into account both the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics as established by the Statistical Commission and provisions on human rights and fundamental freedoms and data protection regulations and privacy guarantees including respect for confidentiality. For indigneous peoples living in voluntary isolation, data-collection exercises should not be used as a pretext for establishing forced contact
Responses
The Government of Argentina states the following in its report to the Fifth session (E/C.19/2006/4):
The Supplementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples 2004-2005 (ECPI) represents the second phase in the data-collection process, being specifically addressed at indigenous peoples and including all peoples belonging to indigenous groups in Argentine territory. The data collection phase of the ECPI has been completed but the data processing and dissemination phase is ongoing. Basic census information may be consulted on the website of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (www.indec.gov.ar).
The participation of indigenous peoples in the various stages of the data-collection and data-processing exercise was fundamental to conducting the ECPI. The National Institute of Indigenous Affairs served as the link between the National Institute of Statistics and Census and indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples were not only at the heart of the question bu participated in the design of the ECPI and also took part in the various phases of the operational process. Indigenous regional coordinators played a key role in the design, and invited indigenous representatives from various provinces to attend regional workshops to discuss and debate the questionnaire.
The operational components of the ECPI are conducted by the regional coordinators, provincial representatives, and whenever assistance is needed to reach the more remote households, indigenous field workers.
The use of local indigenous languges was systematically guaranteed under the ECPI because only indigenous workers were involved. In the case of households in which only the native language is spoken, the indigenous enumerators conducted the survey in the native language and then translated the responses into Spanish.
A number of seminars were held in preparation for the Supplementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples 2004-2005 (ECPI) with a view to educating non-indigenous professionals and technicians concerning the daily lives and cosmovision of indigenous communities and instructing the indigenous representatives in the various processes involved in the ECPI. This helped build capacities among both indigenous and non-indigenous participants.
The ECPI guaranteed the principle of free, prior and informed consent and helped foster participation by indigenous peoples.
Final Report of UNPFII Session 4 (2005)
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