UN Press Release: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

PRESS RELEASE

Activists to celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on 9 August at the UN

Living with dignity, human rights and meaningful development to be highlighted; Indigenous Hollywood actress to take part

New York, 7 August – The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People will be celebrated around the world on 9 August. At United Nations Headquarters, core issues and concerns of indigenous peoples will take centre stage in day-long events in New York.

Along with an art exhibition by Kichwa artist Inty Muenala from Ecuador and a film screening, a panel discussion on “Indigenous Peoples: human rights, dignity and development with identity” will be held. Speakers include Q'orianka Kilcher, lead actress in the 2005 Hollywood film, The New World. The young actress is a descendant of the Huachipaeri and Quechua people of Peru and will speak about her recent trip to the country. Phrang Roy, Assistant President, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Wilton Littlechild (Cree Nation-Canada), Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; and Romy Tincopa, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Peru to the UN will also speak at the event.

Messages by Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will be delivered at the event.

This year’s observance coincides with a number of landmark events for indigenous peoples around the world. A significant achievement has been the recent adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in June this year at the inaugural session of the newly elected Human Rights Council. Indigenous peoples are looking forward to the final adoption of the Declaration by the General Assembly before the end of 2006. Advocates believe that the Declaration, once adopted by Member States, will serve as a crucial international instrument to protect and ensure indigenous rights. Celebrations and discussions this year will also draw upon the theme of “Partnership for Action and Dignity”, the central focus of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, which runs from 2005 to 2015.

Estimates point to more than 370 million indigenous peoples in some 70 countries worldwide. While they are from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, they share common difficulties which include lack of basic healthcare, limited access to education, loss of control over land, abject poverty, displacement, human rights violations, and economic and social marginalization.

Another issue of concern for indigenous communities, that of development, is also likely to be discussed this week. Experts say development programmes often ignore the needs of these communities and their traditional knowledge. For development programmes, including the Millennium Development Goals, to truly have an impact on indigenous peoples, their participation in decisions that affect their lives and their visions of development need to be incorporated effectively into national plans.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is commemorated each year on 9 August in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982. This year’s observance at the UN is being organized by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and the NGO Committee on the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

For more information of the Day’s events, please visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/
news_internationalday2006.html

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Oisika Chakrabarti,

Department of Public Information,

tel: 212.963.8264,

e-mail: mediainfo@un.org

For Secretariat of the Permanent Forum, please contact:

Mirian Masaquiza,

Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,

tel: 917.367.6006,

e-mail: IndigenousPermanentForum@un.org

MEDIA ADVISORY
Hollywood actress, activists and artists to celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on 9 August at the United Nations

WHAT: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People observance at the UN Headquarters.

HIGHLIGHT: A panel discussion “Indigenous Peoples: human rights, dignity and development with identity” will be held. Speakers include Q'orianka Kilcher, lead actress in the 2005 Hollywood film, The New World. The young actress is a descendant of the Huachipaeri and Quechua people of Peru and will speak about her recent trip to the country.

BACKGROUND:

A significant achievement has been the recent adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the Human Rights Council in June. Indigenous peoples are looking forward to the final adoption of the Declaration by the General Assembly before the end of the year.

The Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People runs from 2005 to 2015. The Day’s events will draw upon the Decade’s theme of “Partnership for Action and Dignity”.

WHEN: Wednesday, 9 August, 2:30pm

WHERE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters, 1st Avenue & 46th Street

MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS: Journalists without UN accreditation who wish to attend the event should send a request on company letterhead signed by a supervisor to Mr. Gary Fowlie, Chief, UN Media Accreditation Unit, United Nations at fax (212) 963-4642. Media accreditation forms and general information for the media can be found at www.un.org/media/accreditation
For further information on accreditation and media access questions, contact: +1 (212) 963-6934

For more information or interviews, please contact:
Oisika Chakrabarti, Department of Public Information, tel: 212.963.8264, e-mail: mediainfo@un.org
For Secretariat of the Permanent Forum, please contact:
Mirian Masaquiza, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, tel: 917.367.6006,
e-mail: IndigenousPermanentForum@un.org

PROGRAMME:
(2:30pm, Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters)

2:30 p.m. Film Screening: Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations

3:05 p.m. Messages for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

Welcome and Spiritual Ceremony

Secretary-General, Kofi Annan;
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, José Antonio Ocampo;
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

3:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: “Indigenous Peoples: human rights, dignity and development with identity”

Speakers include Phrang Roy, Assistant President, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Wilton Littlechild (Cree Nation-Canada), Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; Romy Tincopa, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Peru to the UN; and Q'orianka Kilcher, lead actress in the 2005 Hollywood film, The New World.

4: 30 p.m. Indigenous Cultural Performances

Art Exhibition by indigenous artist Inty Muenala (Kichwa)

The event is organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues DSPD/DESA and the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. For more information of the Day’s events, please visit: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/
news_internationalday2006.html