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Matthew Coon Come, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, addressed the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Friday, July 28, 2000 on behalf of the world’s indigenous peoples to support an historic resolution that will establish a Permanent United Nations Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

Matthew has been working on this project since the Grand Council of the Crees first sought consultative status with ECOSOC in 1987. The Grand Council of the Crees first approached the United Nations in 1981 during a health crisis and epidemic in the Cree communities in Quebec.

This is the culmination of a project that was formally proposed by Cree Grand Chief Dr. Ted Moses and Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum to the United Nations World Summit on Human Rights in 1993 in Vienna. Dr. Moses had told the Vienna conference: "We know that in order to have a higher universal standard we must turn to the world community, and that in matters of human rights we owe our highest allegiance …to the international community."

This new United Nations body will report directly to ECOSOC on a broad mandate, which includes economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The body will engage the entire United Nations System to address indigenous peoples’ issues and concerns.

"It is a great honour to be asked to speak on behalf of the world’s indigenous peoples on this historic occasion. Imagine, it is during our lifetime that we have finally gained recognition and have come to take a seat at the same table with the international community. The Mohawks made a first attempt to gain entrance to the old League of Nations before World War II, and were refused. They broke the trail, and now that early historic effort has been rewarded, and we take our rightful place in the United Nations."

Canada requested a special motion on the floor of ECOSOC, so that the National Chief could address the United Nations on this important occasion. In an "exceptional decision" ECOSOC agreed unanimously to hear him. The indigenous peoples prepared a joint statement for his intervention.

Indigenous peoples from all over the world are attending the New York meeting. Although the resolution to establish the Permanent Forum does not fully meet the aspirations of the indigenous peoples for full recognition, it is a huge step forward by the world community. Chief Oren Lyons of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, one of the original proponents of indigenous participation at the international level looked back on work spanning 30 years: "The UN took no recognition of us. Our issues could not even be found on the agenda. We did not exist. We pounded on the doors of the UN in 1977 and they barely budged. For many years it looked like very little was happening. But today, when we look back, we can see how far we have come."

Will Littlechild, QC, a Cree lawyer who also attended the 1977 UN meeting in Geneva noted that indigenous peoples have become subjects of international law: "This is one more step in the recognition of our right of self-determination. We will participate on the Permanent Forum as the equals of the State members. We will become part of the UN family for the first time in history."

National Chief Matthew Coon Come called upon the ECOSOC to approve the establishment of the Permanent Forum. He said: "The establishment of a Permanent Forum is an historical and urgent step which can help bring forth peace, justice and sustainable development amongst all peoples of the world. We, Indigenous Peoples at this ECOSOC Session strongly urge the Members of the ECOSOC to adopt the resolution."

The recently elected National Chief had promised that he would bring the concerns of the indigenous peoples to the international community. In his first trip outside Canada in his capacity of National Chief, he has done just that.