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Working Group on Indigenous Populations(2004) |
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Click Here to see the Video of Rev. Radine giving this speech.
Working Group on Indigenous
Populations
22nd Session
OHCHR-Geneva, Switzerland July 19-23 2004
Land: North America, USA
FIAAH Representative; Rev.RaDine Amen-ra
The Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which was established
pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolutions 1982/34 is a
subsidiary organ of the Sub commission on the promotion and protection
of Human Rights under the OHCHR.
The Working Group has a two fold mandate:
- to review
developments pertaining to the promotion and protection of human rights
and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples.
- to give attention to
the evolution of International standards concerning indigenous rights.
Thematic Issues for 2004: Indigenous peoples and conflict
resolution. This year OHCHR invited all revenant organizations
and departments of the United Nations system to provide information and
if possible participate in the meetings of the Working Group. Experts
of the Working group submitted preliminary working papers for
discussion and review.
1- On the principle of free, prior and informed
consent of indigenous people in relation to development affecting their
lands and natural resources that would serve as a framework for
drafting of a legal commentary by the Working Group on this concept.
2- A working paper to serve as a guideline for
the review of the draft principles and guidelines on the heritage of
Indigenous people to be undertaken by the Working Group under its
agenda item on standard-setting.
FIAAH submitted a legal comment to be reviewed by the sub-commission
referring to racial identity theft to indigenous heritage. Indigenous
people from around the world rallied behind FIAAH submission for
consideration to this important issue. Ethnic identity theft by
foreign races is a major issue among indigenous peoples, and creates
conflict between indigenous people and Governments allowing
non-indigenous people to use the indigenous ethnic identities for
making claims to acquire lands belonging to indigenous people away from
the indigenous people. Recognizing racial identity belonging to an
ethnic heritage is as important to indigenous people. as the ethnic
identity itself.
At the Working Group it was apparent that many indigenous people
of color were victims of racism thru ethnic identity fraud .Racism
applied as ethnic identity theft is used as a common practice in
America against indigenous Americans by the United States. Example: The
factual racial identity for all the indigenous people of American
Indian heritage is Negro. In America today people of Irish, Spanish,
German, Jewish heritage representing European decent constantly claim
the ethnic identity to receive benefits belonging to the Negro race of
American Indian people by calling themselves Native Americans..
The Indigenous caucus also agreed to this issue being addressed
because, there are many indigenous collectives of people in the world
being deprived of there representation completely, as a result of the
theft of their race ethnic identity by non indigenous peoples.
Different lands belong unconditionally to different races of people.
Correct racial identity of people belonging to lands should be apart of
the International guidelines, to ensure protection against genocide of
the people from their lands.
FIAAH submitted on behalf of Indigenous Americans a statement
addressing this important issue was.presented by Rev. RaDine
Amen-ra under item
5(b) - Review of the draft principles and guidelines on the protection of the heritage of indigenous peoples
Statement submitted by Rev. RaDine Amen-ra
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