PRESENTATION BY: TONY BELCOURT
PRESIDENT METIS NATION OF ONTARIO
TO THE UN PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
May 14, 2002

MR. CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE PERMANENT FORUM, YOUR EXCELLENCIES, FELLOW REPRESENTATIVES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES , LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I WISH TO FIRST ADD OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PERMANENT FORUM. ON BEHALF OF THE METIS NATION, I WANT TO ALSO COMMEND ALL THOSE WHO WORKED SO HARD FOR SO MANY YEARS TO REACH THIS HISTORIC AND MOMENTOUS OCCASION AND TO SAY HOW PROUD WE ARE AS A PEOPLE TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THAT PROCESS.

I SPEAK TODAY ON BEHALF OF THE METIS NATION IN ONTARIO, CANADA AND BRING GREETINGS FROM OUR PEOPLE. JOINING ME AT THIS GATHERING ARE THE ENTIRE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE METIS NATION IN CANADA. WE ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE PERMANENT FORUM AND CAME HERE IN A SHOW OF STRENGTH TO UNDERSCORE THAT COMMITMENT.

WE WELCOME THE WORDS SPOKEN YESTERDAY BY MANY DISTINGUISHED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, AND BY MANY OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL WORDS, AND BEAUTIFUL DREAMS - DREAMS THAT WE ALSO SHARE.

BUT WE MUST ALSO FACE SOME UNPLEASANT FACTS. THE PERMANENT FORUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED, AT LONG LAST, BUT IT HAS NO STAFF OR BUDGET OF ITS OWN. STATES HAVE MADE SOME VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE FORUM, AND WE THANK THEM, BUT THE TOTAL AMOUNT PLEDGED IS WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT.

LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ECOSOC ALSO ESTABLISHED A PERMANENT FORUM ON FORESTS. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PROVIDED IT WITH $750,000 FROM THE REGULAR BUDGET FOR STAFF POSTS AND TRAVEL, AS WELL AS MEETINGS. THAT FORUM WILL TALK ONLY ABOUT FORESTS. BUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LIVE IN THOSE FORESTS--AND THIS FORUM, THE FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES, MUST DEPEND ENTIRELY ON VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS.

THAT DOES NOT SEEM FAIR AT ALL. IT MAKES MANY OF THE BEAUTIFUL WORDS SPOKEN HERE YESTERDAY SEEM HOLLOW. BUT REGRETS AND COMPLAINTS ARE NOT ENOUGH. WHAT ARE WE, AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, PREPARED TO DO ABOUT IT?

THE THEME OF THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE OF THE WORLD  "INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IS PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION".  THERE ARE ONLY TWO YEARS LEFT OF THE DECADE, AND WHAT HAS BEEN MISSING IS THE "ACTION".  PARTNERSHIP, IN THE ABSTRACT, IS A BEAUTIFUL IDEA. BUT WE MUST DECIDE CLEARLY ON WHAT WE WILL DO, AS PARTNERS. AND WE MUST ESTABLISH SOME PRACTICAL MECHANISM TO HELP US BUILD PARTNERSHIPS - PRACTICAL WORKING PARTNERSHIPS -  IN COUNTRIES WHERE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER BEFORE.

WE BELIEVE THAT PARTNERSHIPS FOR DEVELOPMENT CAN BE A STARTING POINT FOR BROADER AND RICHER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS. THERE IS A SHARED INTEREST IN DEVELOPMENT, AND THE PROGRESS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CONTRIBUTES TO THE WELL-BEING OF THEIR NEIGHBOURS AS WELL. EVERYONE WINS. AND WITH GREATER FREEDOM FROM A DAILY STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, PEOPLE ARE BETTER ABLE TO EXERCISE AND FULLY ENJOY THEIR BASIC RIGHTS. 

WE HAVE STRUGGLED FOR MANY YEARS TO BUILD EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN CANADA, AND WE HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS. WE HAVE EXPERIENCE TO SHARE WITH OUR INDIGENOUS SISTERS AND BROTHERS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD, AND TO SHOW GOVERNMENTS THAT THIS IS A STRATEGY THAT CAN WORK FOR EVERYONE. B U T WHO WILL BRING US TOGETHER? WHO HAS THE INFLUENCE, AUTHORITY AND RESOURCES TO SEAT US TOGETHER AT THE TABLE AS POTENTIAL PARTNERS? THIS IS A JOB FOR THE FORUM. BUT WITHOUT STAFF OR RESOURCES, THE FORUM CAN DO LITTLE BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT TIME WE MEET IN 12 MONTHS.

 IN FAIRNESS TO MEMBER STATES, THE FORUM IS STILL AN UNKNOWN QUANTITY. IT HAS NOT YET DEMONSTRATED ITS ABILITY TO MOVE THE UNITED NATIONS FROM TALK TO ACTION WITH RESPECT TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. WE THINK THAT MEMBER STATES MIGHT BE MORE WILLING TO GIVE THE FORUM ADEQUATE RESOURCES ONCE THE FORUM HAS BEEN ABLE TO DEMONSTRATES ITS VALUE. BUT THIS, TOO, WILL REQUIRE SOME RESOURCES. WHO WILL TAKE THE LEADERSHIP AND GIVE THE FORUM THE RESOURCES IT NEEDS TO PROVE ITS WORTH AS BUILDER OF PARTNERSHIPS?

S INDIGENOUS NATIONS AND PEOPLES, WE SPEAK A GREAT DEAL ABOUT SELF-DETERMINATION. WE COMPLAIN LOUDLY THAT MEMBER STATES DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE OR RESPECT OUR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION. AND PERHAPS WE ARE GOING TO COMPLAIN, THIS WEEK, THAT MEMBER STATES DO NOT GIVE THE PERMANENT FORUM ENOUGH MONEY TO DO ITS JOB.

AS METIS PEOPLE IN CANADA, IT HAS BEEN OUR EXPERIENCE THAT SELF-DETERMINATION BEGINS WITH SELF-HELP AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY. POVERTY AND ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE DO NOT PROVIDE A SOUND FOUNDATION FOR FREEDOM OR NATIONHOOD. IT MAY BE UNFAIR, BUT THERE ARE THINGS WE MUST DO TO HELP OURSELVES, AND TO HELP EACH OTHER.
\par \par TO BEGIN, WE MUST FACE SOME INESCAPABLE REALITIES:
\par \par FIRST, IT IS AN INESCAPABLE FACT THAT A MAJORITY OF THE WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LIVE IN TRULY DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES, GENERALLY IN THE WORLD'S POOREST REGIONS AND COUNTRIES. ALL THE WORDS WE SPEAK HERE IN NEW YORK WILL NOT FEED ONE HUNGRY CHILD - UNLESS WE BUILD AN INSTITUTION THAT CAN FIND FOOD AND BRING IT TO THAT CHILD.   TALKING ABOUT HUNGER DOES NOT FILL EMPTY STOMACHS.

WE ALL KNOW THIS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING HERE AT THE UNITED NATIONS AS IF THE PERMANENT FORUM CAN FILL EMPTY STOMACHS WITH WORDS. THE FORUM CANNOT EVEN HIRE A STAFF MEMBER TO HELP THE RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM FIND THAT HUNGRY CHILD, AND SHOW THEM HOW TO WORK APPROPRIATELY WITH THE PARENTS AND COMMUNITY OF THAT CHILD. THERE IS LITTLE POINT IN OUR TELLING THE MEMBERS OF THE FORUM WHAT TO DO FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, UNTIL WE HAVE ENSURE D THAT THE FORUM HAS ADEQUATE STAFF AND RESOURCES TO WORK EFFECTIVELY AS PART OF THE UN OPERATIONAL SYSTEM.

ANOTHER REALITY IS THIS: THAT MANY OF THE INDIGENOUS NATIONS REPRESENTED HERE COME FROM RELATIVELY RICH COUNTRIES, AND ARE RELATIVELY PRIVILEGED. METIS PEOPLE IN CANADA ARE CERTAINLY NOT WEALTHY. AND WHILE OUR ABORIGINAL AND TREATY RIGHTS ARE RECOGNIZED AND AFFIRMED IN THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA, WE ARE THE ONLY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF OUR COUNTRY WHO DO NOT HAVE A LAND BASE AND ACCESS TO OUR OWN NATURAL RESOURCES. WHILE MANY OF OUR PEOPLE EXPERIENCE ILL HEALTH, PREJUDICE AND ARE OTHERWISE IMPOVERISHED, WE ALSO RECOGNIZE WE ARE CONSIDERABLY MORE ADVANTAGED THAN OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE MUST ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME WITH THIS RELATIVELY PRIVILEGED POSITION.

THE METIS PEOPLE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE WORK OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM FOR MANY YEARS NOW, AND THIS HAS TAUGHT US ONE VERY IMPORTANT LESSON: NOTHING SUBSTANTIVE WILL HAPPEN UNLESS WE TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND HELP OURSELVES TO HELP EACH OTHER. IT IS UNFAIR THAT THE MEMBER STATES OF THE UNITED NATIONS HAVE NEARLY EMPTY POCKETS WHEN IT COMES TO INDIGENOUS ISSUES. PERHAPS WE CAN EVENTUALLY CHANGE THE MINDS OF THE LEADERS OF THE MEMBER STATES. IN THE MEAN TIME, WE STILL HAVE THAT HUNGRY CHILD TO FEED.

THIS BRINGS ME TO THE MOST IMPORTANT REALITY THAT WE MUST FACE HERE TODAY.

IF WE REALLY WANT THE PERMANENT FORUM TO WORK FOR US EFFECTIVELY, AND TO BE MORE THAN A ONCE-A-YEAR GATHERING TO COMPLAIN A BOUT THE ACTIONS OF MEMBER STATES, THEN WE MUST EXERCISE OUR INHERENT RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION BY ACTING AS RESPONSIBLE NATIONS, AND HELPING TO PAY FOR THE FORUM OURSELVES. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR FORUM. PARTNERSHIP MEANS THAT WE MUST SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY WITH MEMBERS STATES.

THE METIS NATION IS VERY GRATEFUL TO THE MINISTER OF MAORI AFFAIRS OF NEW ZEALAND, AND THE MAORI PEOPLE, FOR THEIR PLEDGE OF $50,000 TOWARDS THE OPERATIONS OF THE PERMANENT FORUM. YOU HAVE SHOWN US THE ROAD WE MUST FOLLOW.

IN THIS SPIRIT, I AM AUTHORIZED TO OFFER THE PERMANENT FORUM, ON A YEAR-TO-YEAR BASIS, ONE FULLY-FUNDED STAFF MEMBER FROM THE METIS PEOPLE, EQUIVALENT TO A PLEDGE OF $100,000. PER YEAR. THE FORUM NEEDS EXPERT PROFESSIONAL STAFF, AND WE ARE HONOURED TO OFFER THE FIRST FULL-TIME STAFF POST. WE WOULD LIKE THIS POST TO BE DEVOTED TO HELPING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND STATES TO BUILD PRACTICAL NEW KINDS OF PARTNERSHIPS FOR DEVELOPMENT.

MY DELEGATION LOOKS FORWARD TO AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE DETAILS OF THIS ARRANGEMENT WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE FORUM BEFORE THIS SESSION COMES TO A CLOSE. WE ALSO WANT TO ISSUE A FRIENDLY CHALLENGE, TO MEMBER STATES AS WELL AS OUR INDIGENOUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO LIVE IN THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES, TO MATCH OUR PLEDGE - AND WHERE POSSIBLE, TO CONTRIBUTE STAFF POSITIONS AND EXPERT STAFF MEMBERS RATHER THAN UNRESTRICTED CASH DONATIONS. LET US GIVE THE FORUM THE INDIGENOUS SECRETARIAT IT NEEDS!

PERMIT ME, IN CLOSING, TO PROPOSE A GOAL. WE WOULD LIKE TO SET A TARGET OF $750,000 - THE SAME BUDGET AS THE FORUM ON FORESTS -  BY THE TIME THE ECOSOC MEETS IN JULY. THAT WOULD BE LESS THAN ONE-TENTH OF ONE PERCENT OF THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, A VERY SMALL AMOUNT. BUT IT WOULD BE A REAL BEGINNING. AND AS MUCH AS WE ARE ABLE, WE MUST DO THIS OURSELVES, AND CHALLENGE THE MEMBER STATES TO FOLLOW OUR LEADERSHIP.
 

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