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The Permanent Forum also recommends that States, United Nations organizations and indigenous peoples’ organizations strengthen the necessary communication, education and information infrastructure and support networks of educators on indigenous issues. Information and communication technologies (ICT) for indigenous peoples must be supported in order to close the technological and information gap.
Responses
FAO: FAO reports: “(a)During the first World Congress on Communication for Development held in Rome from 25 to 27 October 2006, a special session on indigenous peoples’ communication for development was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The session focused on the role of communication in combating the marginalization and isolation of indigenous peoples and on its potential to foster their self-determination and development. The session was chaired by Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Representatives of indigenous peoples worldwide shared their relevant experiences, and participated in an interactive discussion with the audience. The session was based on the results of previous activities organized by FAO in Bolivia in September 2006 in collaboration with other indigenous peoples’ organizations: the regional workshop on indigenous peoples’ communication for development in Latin America, and the subsequent International Meeting on Indigenous Peoples’ Communication for Development. (b) The special session of the World Congress recommended guaranteeing the right of indigenous peoples to communication for self-determined development. The participants agreed that it was essential to promote policies, mechanisms and initiatives that guaranteed and enhanced the realization of the right to communication of indigenous peoples. In line with the purposes of the special session, FAO produced two video programmes on indigenous peoples’ experiences in respect of communication and sustainable livelihood. (c) An important outcome of the meetings in Bolivia was the establishment of a Latin America regional communication platform on indigenous peoples’ communication and sustainable livelihood supported by SPFII, FAO and IFAD. This platform will be an important vehicle for dialogue and collaboration between United Nations organizations and indigenous peoples in the region.”
UNICEF: UNICEF reports that it has concentrated on promoting indigenous cultures through education in several countries. In Belize, it supported the first ever intercultural education symposium, which helped raise awareness and trigger debate regarding the challenges and disparities faced by indigenous children and adolescents. The meeting involved policymakers, government officials, educators, young people and community representatives, and focused on the promotion of cultural diversity as an essential component to building social cohesion, inclusion and fostering the principle of non-discrimination in schools and in the wider society. As a result, and thanks to the commitment of indigenous leaders, a plan of action was drafted that will lead to curriculum reform, teacher training and implementation of intercultural education in all schools. An interdisciplinary committee composed of a wide range of partners was created to provide technical direction to this initiative. In the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, efforts were focused on reviving the Wayuu language, with teachers trained to teach in their mother tongue and use educational software, while 600 Añu children participated in the revival of their language with the support of community promoters. Also in Belize, UNICEF supported a fluvial network of libraries with the participation of teachers, children and families. In Brazil, UNICEF mobilized children and adolescents in the Amazon region to reflect on their ethnic and cultural identity through an initiative entitled “Mapping our Culture”. In Mexico, UNICEF continued to support a project to raise awareness of and combat discrimination against indigenous children through the development and integration into the school curriculum of materials that describe the situation, culture and traditions of indigenous children in Mexico. At the regional level, UNICEF also supported the Latin American Congress on Intercultural and Bilingual Education that was held in Bolivia and facilitated the participation of indigenous representatives from several countries. The UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is planning to develop a regional communication campaign that celebrates the cultural diversity of the Americas.
ECLAC: ECLAC reports that in 2006, the Regional Bilingual Literacy Project (CELADE with the cooperation of the Government of Italy) continued to be implemented in Guatemala, Paraguay and Peru, reaching its goal of teaching more than 36,000 people to read in their mother tongue and in Spanish on subjects including productive development, environmental protection, health, rights and community organization. In Guatemala, along with the planned activities in Mam-speaking areas, literacy training methods were designed for a total of 15 major Mayan languages, and the methods were transferred to national technical teams with a view to implementation in 2007. Substantive progress was made in all three countries in institutionalizing the project, as it was included in official literacy plans and received 80 per cent of its funding from national sources, as well as in forming inter-agency and intersectoral linkages among Government agencies, international cooperation and civil society organizations, in particular partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private companies under the rubric of corporate social responsibility.
IFAD: IFAD reports that in October 2006, in cooperation with FAO, the Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia and several indigenous peoples’ organizations, it co-sponsored a special session on indigenous peoples and communication for development at the World Congress on Communication for Development held in Rome. It also supported the participation in the congress of indigenous peoples’ representatives from different regions. The special session produced specific recommendations to the World Congress on mainstreaming communication for development policies, programmes and services to foster the sustainable development of indigenous peoples’ communities (see details on grants activities in the document E/c.19/2007/3/Add.4. In 2006, IFAD also initiated programmes to raise the awareness of journalists in Latin America and South Africa about and to advocate indigenous peoples’ issues. Furthermore, in 2006, as part of the development of the Rural Poverty Portal powered by IFAD, the Fund expanded its web page on indigenous peoples to incorporate its experiences and general issues related to indigenous peoples. The page can be accessed through the Rural Poverty Portal (http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org), and through the IFAD web page (www.ifad.org).
UNESCO reports: “(a) The project “ICTs for Intercultural Dialogue: Reinforcing Communication Capacities of Indigenous Peoples” entered its second phase in 2006. A collection of DVDs produced by indigenous communities from Bolivia, Peru, Namibia, South Africa and Gabon was published and four new production teams were trained: An Ayllu and Marka team from Bolivia, a Dolgon team from Siberia (Russia), a Masai team from Kenya and a Matsiguenga team from Peru. (b) Projects undertaken by UNESCO in Latin American include the following: development of a community television channel with the aim of strenthening the expression of Mayan culture and promoting cultural diversity in Guatemala; the creation of a Mayan Communication Network, through improved capacity of radio producers; the launching of two projects entailing the use of communication for the preservation of indigenous culture incolving the Chiquitano and Guarani communities in Bolivia; a dictionary of nidigenous languages in Brazil; and a “Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean” which offers a permanent follow-up to indigenous issues through its section “Intercultural Dialogue”, with general information, news and agenda. UNESCO Moscow is supporting the implementation of a multi-dimensional project “Faces of Russia” on ethnic groups living in Russia. It includes a series of video films about various ethnic groups, a website and an educational project for children entitled “to live together – to stay different”. A series of multimedia projects undertaken by UNESCO Moscow furthermore aim at preserving and disseminating the intangible cultural heritage of the Even, Yakut and Mugham indigenous peoples, by means of information and communication technologies. Within the LINKS programme, UNESCO has developed a series of interactive CD-ROMs that target indigenous youth using new information and communication technologies as a vehicle for traditional knowledge (Dream Trackers – Yapa Art and Knowledge of the Australian desert, 2000 an The Canoe is the People: Indigenous Navigations in the Pacific, 2005).”
Final Report of UNPFII Session 5 (2006)
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