The fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) opened on May 16, 2005 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with the participation of several UNPO members representatives from Ahwaz, Assyria, Batwa, Buffalo River Dene Nation, Khmer Krom, Maasai, Montagnards, Nahuas del Alto Balsas and Oromo. This year’s elected Chairperson, UN Permanent Forum Member Victoria Tauli-Corpuz of Tebtebba leads the two-week proceedings, which focus on the Millenium Development Goals as they apply to and can be informed by indigenous peoples.

In her opening remarks, UN Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette applauded UNPFII for “playing a catalytic role in forging partnerships between indigenous peoples, governments and the UN system.” Ms Frechette, referring to the comprehensive review of the UN system currently underway, stressed that “change is high on the agenda at the United Nations. Indigenous peoples must be part of …the revitalization of the international system towards which we are striving.”

The Fourth Session will develop approaches informed by indigenous knowledge to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education, the first and second Millennium Development Goals (MDG), respectively. Reinforcing the need for such frameworks, participants of the Forum heard speeches presented by UN agency representatives who expressed the need for policy recommendations more inclusive of indigenous views. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, UN Millenium Project Director and adviser to the Secretary-General Jeffrey Sachs and administrator of the UNDP Mark Malloch Brown each stressed a rights-based approach to development, citing poverty as a violation of human rights rooted in the denial of needs like healthcare, employment and education.

Currently, 370 million indigenous people face extreme poverty and no access to education or inadequate education or no access to primary bilingual education in both the dominant language and the mother tongue. Speaking on MDG 1, which aims to reduce extreme poverty by 50% by the year 2015, Mr Sachs explained that indigenous communities seeking refuge often migrate to forested areas, unarable land, or otherwise undesirable territory. Far from state capitals, these groups are easily ignored by government development programs. While this view does not consider the traditional subsistence way of life some communities choose for themselves, it does point to a fear many have that development programs enacted under MDG 1 will allow some governments to pass over pockets of poor communities.

One much-awaited statement was that made by Ms. Arbour, who last month had criticized the work of her organization at the annual UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. When she took up the responsibility of High Commissioner last year, she claimed a firm belief in the priority of the rapid completion of the declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, a goal of the first International Decade on Indigenous Peoples (1995-2004). While this was not achieved, she said, the strengthened dialogue between indigenous peoples, UN bodies and states that did result is an advancement that will allow for further break-throughs in the future.

The general feeling in the room was one of anticipation for the impact this session’s recommendations may have on informing policy-making by the UN and state governments. Ms Tauli-Corpuz cautioned that Forum participants make sparing recommendation because “realistic implementation must be achieved with a clear commitment from governments, UN agencies and indigenous people in terms of what they can do.”

In another measure of the Forum’s success, Assistant UN Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women Rachel Mayanja pointed to the second International Decade on Indigenous Peoples, begun this year, and on the growing inter-agency support for indigenous issues since the establishment of the Forum by ECOSOC in 2000. She also urged delegates to the Forum to consider the progress made on the rights of women by indigenous women and to further these ideals in recommendations, to be made at the end of next week.

Some speakers and Permanent Forum Members stressed that despite these laudable gains, poverty and ill-will towards indigenous communities still pervade the political landscape in 70 countries. “The ultimate measure of our success as a body is positive change for communities of indigenous people in terms of respected rights,” said Ms Tauli-Corpuz.

New York, Cecilia Gérard for UNPO