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Tebtebba Foundation
(Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and
Education)
No. 1 Roman Ayson Rd., 2600, Baguio City, Philippines
Tel.No. 63 74 4447703 Tel/Fax No. 63 74 4439459
Website:
www.tebtebba.org e-mail:
tebtebba_AT_skyinet.net |
"NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social
Council of the UN"
Statement by Victoria Tauli Corpuz
Executive Director, Tebtebba Foundation
1st Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
22 May 2002
Agenda Item 7: Workplan of the Permanent Forum
Thank you Mr. Chairperson. This is a joint statement with the Innu Council
of Nitassinan of Canada. First of all I would like to endorse the
statement of the Asian Indigenous Peoples' caucus presented earlier. This
captures many of the proposals we want to present to this body.
It is clear that the Permanent Forum will play a major role in addressing
the issues of indigenous peoples around economic and social development.
We already heard the concerns presented on how indigenous peoples are
adversely affected by globalization. The main institutions leading the
globalization project are bodies like the World Trade Organization and
other regional trade agreements, the World Bank and other regional
multilateral banks, the IMF and the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD). Yet, indigenous peoples do not have the
possibility to have a say on decisions and agreements made by these
bodies. We get some amount of attention if we resist projects or policies
which they are promoting which we think are violating our rights to our
lands and resources.
We have undertaken case studies and received numerous reports about how WB
projects and policies have harmed indigenous peoples. We did initial
studies and analysis of existing WTO Agreements, like the Agreement on
Agriculture, the TRIPS Agreement, the General Agreement on Services,etc.
And we have seen how these are adversely affecting our communities. During
the Seattle WTO Ministerial meeting in 1999 the indigenous peoples caucus
made the Indigenous Peoples' Seattle Declaration which spelled out our
demands in relation to how the WTO Agreements should either be removed or
amended. We are submitting this Declaration for your information. There is
another Indigenous Peoples statement on TRIPS which is called "No to
Patenting of Life". This will also be submitted.
Recently, the Interior Alliance of British Columbia has submitted an
amicus curaie brief on the dispute between the US and Canada on softwood
lumber. This is the first time that indigenous peoples formally submitted
their legal comments on a dispute between two states which did not even
consider the peoples who were directly affected by the issue under
dispute.
The OECD is another body which makes policies that have direct effects,
both good and bad on indigenous peoples. For example it has made
guidelines on Corporate Accountability which indigenous peoples can use to
make corporations more accountable.
The Permanent Forum's mandate allows it to explore and develop mechanisms
on how indigenous peoples can have a meaningful dialogue with these
bodies. In this light we are proposing that the workplan of the Permanent
Forum consider how these mechanisms can be developed. The Permanent Forum
can invite formally the WTO and the OECD to send their representatives to
attend the Permanent Forum sessions.
But even beyond that the Permanent Forum can receive indigenous peoples
documentation and reports on the programs and policies on how these
institutions are affecting indigenous peoples. Then on the basis of these
the Permanent Forum can submit these formally to those concerned.
The Permanent Forum is about partnership and dialogue between indigenous
peoples, UN member states. The members of the WTO, WB, IMF and the OECD
are all member-states of the UN. Since their decisions can either promote
or violate the rights of indigenous peoples to development it is but right
that the Permanent Forum ensures that these dialogues are held.
Thank you.
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