Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

On February 5, 2001, in late afternoon, a few Indigenous representatives were invited to meet with Mrs. Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for an exchange of views on the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The meeting took place in the offices of the NY Office of OHCHR at the United Nations, hosted by Mrs. Elsa Stamatopoulou, Deputy Director of this office. A snowstorm prevented some of the invited participants to attend.

During the United Nations International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in 1993, the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples was called for by the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in June of same year as one of the goals of the also proposed International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (1995-2004), the other goal being the adoption of a Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (which is still pending).

On April 28, 2000, the Commission on Human Rights recommended the Resolution to establish a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (title was changed) which would report to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). On July 28, 2000, ECOSOC approved this Permanent Forum ( Resolution E/RES/2000/22). It was then adopted by the General Assembly in October 2000.

The Permanent Forum is to be composed of 8 Indigenous representatives and 8 government experts. Indigenous members will represent areas of the world. At an informal workshop in Geneva in November 2000, the world was tentatively divided this way: Artic/Europe - Africa - Asia - North America - Central/South America and the Caribbean - Pacific - Former USSR and Eastern Europe leaving one more seat to be rotated among Asia, Africa, and Central/South America and Caribbean. This tentative format already can be contested as Central America and the Caribbean should be separated from South America as these countries are mostly populated by Indigenous Peoples. Deadline for nominations of delegates was to be May 2001 as called for by ECOSOC.

Location of Permanent Forum is undecided between New York City and Geneva.

At a pre-meeting hosted by the American Indian Law Alliance, discussions revolved on the purpose of this UN meeting which was not clearly defined in the invitation letter. It was felt this was a North American consultation, and if it was, representation was very small. Some other questions of concern were the DEADLINE of May 2001: not enough time to consult as choosing 1 representative for such large regions is difficult since information does not really reach the grassroots communities.

The LOCATION of the Forum. It was felt that Geneva may be better as some Agencies main offices are based there but NYC with ECOSOC and the General Assembly would be an asset. Yachay Wasi suggested that NYC is a plus as the Permanent Forum should request Observer Status** to participate in GA meetings. Chief Oren Lyons was selected as the spokesman for the group.

Mrs. Robinson opened the meeting by announcing that her office had been chosen by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be the lead agency to spearhead the establishment process during the last years of the Decade. One of her first actions besides calling this impromptu meeting with some Indigenous representatives was to call for an inter-agency meeting on February 6, 2001 in order to motivate the UN agencies and making them "feel involved" in the establishment of this Forum. She also wants to create a resources team made up of Agencies specialists. She stressed the fact that regional meetings for the World Conference Against Racism were being used as a way to promote the Forum, such as the recent December 2000 meeting in Santiago, Chile.

Mrs. Robinson answered to Chief Lyons that she realized the deadline had to be extended, that location was still not defined, that she felt that Forum would be a "wholistic" entity and that she was very much dedicated and hopeful that it will fulfill all expectations. Tonya Gonnella Frishner brought up the suggestion of Observer status.

Invited participants were: Tony Black Feather, Tetuwan Oyate (Teton Sioux Nation), Black Hills, South Dakota - Oren Lyons, Onondonga Nation, NY - Tonya Gonnella Frishner, Mercedes Pierre and Rosalie Gonzalez, American Indian Law Alliance, NYC - Armstrong Wiggins, American Indian Law Resources Center - Carol Kalafatic, International Indian Treaty Council - Roberto Borrero Mucaro, Chair, Esmeralda Brown, former Chair and Sandra Sheridan, Secretary, NGO Committee on the UN International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples - Pamela Kraft, Tribal Link Foundation - Ali El Issa, husband of late Ingrid Washinawatok and Director of the Flying Eagle Fund in her memory - Marie-Danielle Samuel, Yachay Wasi and Vice-Chair of NGO Committee.

** In October 1991, as Representative for the International Romani Union (NGO/ECOSOC) Yachay Wasi Officer Eliane Lacroix-Hopson co-founded the NGO Committee toward the 1993 UN International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People and at the Committee’s first official meeting at the UN, 13 January 1992, she took the floor to make two proposals: - For a Hopi representative to present their century old prophecy to the UN at the Opening Ceremony of the International Year and - for World’s Indigenous Peoples to unite and apply for Observer Status at the United Nations.

The large audience stood up to second the proposals which were further carried by Ms. Elsa Stamatopoulou, Chief Human Rights Centre/New York. On December 10, 1992 , twenty Indigenous leaders from around the world for the first time in history addressed the General Assembly and Hopi Thomas Banyacya fulfilled his 48 years old mandate. William Means, Chair, International Indian Treaty Council, informed (by personal letter) of the proposals, declared: "…we ask and encourage the General Assembly to consider one or more Pan-Indigenous and Pan-Indian organizations be granted Observer status within the General Assembly and the United Nations system." From that day on, all UN documents on Indigenous People issues carried this request until the 1993 Vienna Declaration on a permanent forum regarded as the answer to Mr. Means’ request.

Why request Observer status for Indigenous Peoples? First, as Indigenous Nations are not politically recognized at the UN, 300 million Indigenous peoples, the most ancient peoples on the planet have no identity other than NGOs at the United Nations. Second, though the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights could be recognized as spiritual and humanitarian statutes in the frame of the evolution of civilizations, the United Nations through its member-States is a partisan political body lacking any spiritual guidance (though Secretary-General Kofi Annan stands as the conscience of the world today) and consequently is deficient in many aspects in regard to the real needs and the predicaments of humanity. Indigenous Peoples are fundamentally spiritual peoples in sacred agreement with the Creation and Mother Earth: This is the power and the vision which is lacking within the United Nations as a guidance toward our common future and that Indigenous Peoples could infuse in the world forum if they were recognized as Observers at the United Nations. Short of Observer status, a Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations system is overdue. (From Yachay Wasi News Letter Fall 2001 issue.)