Mandate of the Indigenous Peoples
http://www.tonatierra.org/mandate.html
"We have arrived at the moment in history of the world where a dialogue among civilizations and world views is necessary at the global level. Only so will the hope for Peace and Dignity with justice for our human society survive, established through a sustainable ecological relationship to the Mother Earth itself as foundation. This is the Mandate of the Indigenous Peoples; it supersedes that of the United Nations system; it is an expression of the jurisprudence of indigenous international law: it is the path of Tradition and Liberation."
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples represents over twenty years of negotiations and collective diplomacy by Indigenous Peoples of the entire world. The Declaration provides long overdue acknowledgement of the human rights of the millions Indigenous Peoples globally, covering a vast array of issues including fundamental freedoms, identity, lands and territories, resources, and discrimination, among other significant concerns essential for the survival and Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples and our Nations.
The events of the past week in the 3rdCommittee have produced a sense of international outrage, betrayal and injustice that is echoed across the world by the Indigenous Caucus. The current situation is a travesty and a violation of the rule of International Law which must be corrected in order to establish reciprocity based on principles of justice with the government states of the United Nations system. The text of the declaration came after 24 years of negotiations between government states, Indigenous Peoples and Non-governmental organizations.
The action at the UN on November 28th, 2006 assures continued discrimination, violation of our rights as Indigenous Peoples and the vulnerability of our nations to pogroms of genocide. The failure to recognize our right of self-determination by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly is an unacceptable criminal lack of protection and promotion of the fundamental principle of our basic human rights.
We join our Indigenous brothers and sisters around the world in strong solidarity in speaking out against the lack of respect, and failure of the UN member states to find common cause with the struggle for human rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We further call upon the leadership of the Indigenous Nations, Pueblos and organizations of our continent Abya Yala to move towards opening other avenues of engagement with the United Nations system, specifically as was called for upon convening of the Continental Indigenous Summit Abya Yala of Mar de Plata, Argentina 2005:
ISSUE: GOVERNMENT STATES The United Nations and the Organization of American States - OAS
ACTION: To implement the initiatives of DECOLONIZATION, at the dimension of our continent Abya Yala, obligated the procedures under international law indicated by resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly 1514 and 1541, among others.
Finally we call upon our Indigenous Nations of our continent Abya Yala to extend and activate traditional initiatives of engagement with the Confederacies of the Indigenous Peoples of the world independently of the United Nations system, to the purpose of fulfilling our sacred obligations as caretakers of TONANTZIN, our Sacred Mother Earth.
Signed,
Tlahtokan Nahuacalli
Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras
Asamblea del Barrio Garfield
Seventh Generation Fund
TONATIERRA
Links:
Indigenous Peoples Caucus
http://www.ipcaucus.net/
United States opposes declaration on Native rights
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414049
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The Geography of Self Determination
NAHUACALLI: Mandate of the Indigenous Peoples