Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events (51)

AIWN NY Side Event 2015
 
Speakers:
 
Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 
 
Ms. Mila Singson
Coordinator, Innabuyog-Gabriela
 
Ms. Angelina Ortiz
Program Coordinator
Indigenous Peoples’ Educational Learning Systems, SILDAP-SE
 
Ms. Pratima  Gurung
General Secretary
Nepal Indigenous Disabled Association
 
Ms. Loek Srey Neang
Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association
 
 
Moderator:
 
Ms. Eleanor Dictaan-Bang-oa
Secretariat
Asian Indigenous Women’s Network
Indigenous Women Coordinator
Tebtebba
 
*Spanish interpretation available

UNPFII 14th Session

20 April 2015, 3:09 am Written by
Published in Upcoming Events

Fourteenth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 20 April to 1 May 2015, UN Headquarters, New York, USA.

For more details, please visit http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples/UNPFIISessions/Fourteenth.aspx

CSW59/AIWN-Tebtebba Side Event

12 March 2015, 8:28 am Written by
Published in Upcoming Events

Objectives of the Side Event:

  • To be able to impart indigenous women’s experiences of discrimination and violence based on the documentation and training activities conducted by indigenous women in Nepal and the Philippines; and

  • To illustrate the link between gender and human rights violations against indigenous women viz their vision for sustainable development.

For queries, email Ms Eleanor Dictaan-Bang-oa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CSW59/Beijing+20 (2015)

9 March 2015, 2:04 am Written by
Published in Upcoming Events

59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 9-20 March, UN Headquarters, New York, USA.

For more details, please visit http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw59-2015

December 17-20, 2014

Baguio City, Philippines

 

 

Concept Note

 

We, the women of the original peoples of the world have struggled actively to defend our rights to self-determination and to our territories which have been invaded and colonized by powerful nations and interests. We have been and are continuing to suffer from multiple oppressions; as Indigenous peoples, as citizens of colonized and neo-colonial countries, as women, and as members of the poorer classes of society. In spite of this, we have been and continue to protect, transmit, and develop our Indigenous cosmovision, our science and technologies, our arts and culture, and our Indigenous socio-political economic systems, which are in harmony with the natural laws of mother earth. We still retain the ethical and esthetic values, the knowledge and philosophy, the spirituality, which conserves and nurtures Mother Earth. We are persisting in our struggles for self-determination and for our rights to our territories. This has been shown in our tenacity and capacity to withstand and survive the colonization happening in our lands in the last 500 years.”

( Para 5, Beijing Declaration of Indigenous Women, 1995)

Almost 20 years have passed since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Hairou, Beijing, China where the indigenous women came up with their own Beijing Declaration of Indigenous Women. Twelve years later, in 2007, the indigenous peoples achieved the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Yet, the respect, promotion and filfillment of the rights of indigenous peoples remains to be a challenge. Discrimination and violence against indigenous women persists as they and their communities continue to protect their lands, territories and resources, culture and spirituality from the erosive influences of neo-colonial macroeconomic development paradigm that drives the political and economic directions of states.

 

In 2000, the States committed to the Millenium Development Goals, targetting to end poverty and to meet the needs of the world’s poor. Fourteen years later, indigenous peoples are still generally discriminated and in the margins of poverty deprived of their basic means of livelihoods and lagging behind in terms of development. This comes as a result of indigenous peoples' exclusion from the MDG deliberations and decisionmaking. On September 2015, the States will adopt a post-2015 development agenda set in the Sustainable Development Goals which the indigenous peoples are trying to influence.

 

Today, we are not only challenged by conflicting development paradigms that has impacted on the global economy and governance. We are now witnessing the wrath of Mother Earth globally due to decades of resource extraction and accumulation of wealth, resulting to the unpredictable weather conditions and disasters which disproportionately impact on indigenous women and their communities.

Amidst these crises, indigenous peoples are offering solutions based on their perspectives of development and generations of practice and knowledge as their contribution to sustaining life. The World Conference of Indigenous Women, affirmed that Indigenous women have knowledge, wisdom, and practical experience, which has sustained human societies over generations. We, as mothers, life givers, culture bearers, and economic providers, nurture the linkages across generations and are the active sources of continuity and positive change.” (Lima Declaration of the World Conference of Indigenous Women, December 2013).

Next year, a lot of international agreements are undergoing review of implementation. For women, an interesting process is the Beijing + 20 Review which will be the major agenda of the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women focusing on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPA) which was adopted during the 4th World Conference on Women in China in 1992. It will take into consideration the challenges of its implementation and the achievements of gender equality and women empowerment.

Another major development which indigenous peoples must be actively looking at is the Outcome Document adopted at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). The outcome document outlines the commitments of States towards the realization of indigenous peoples rights reaffirming their support to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It has specific provision on violence against indigenous women and girls and their empowerment.

 

To this end and in consideration of the persistent challenges among indigenous women, the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN) is organizing an orientation workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ Self-Determined and Sustainable Development (IPSSDD) as a strategy to define the kind of development we want as indigenous peoples and as women. IPSSDD is based on the holistic and integrated worldview of indigenous peoples. It adheres to, promotes and link different approaches which are currently very relevant for indigenous peoples i.e human rights, ecosystems, interculturality and traditional knowledge. The gender and intergenerational dimensions should cross-cut through all these approaches.

 

Objectives of the workshop

 

  1. To understand the multiple crises and the fundamental social, political, economic and ecological challenges and how these particularly impact on indigenous women;

  2. Enhance understanding of the core concepts and principles of Indigenous Peoples’ Sustainable and Self-Determined Development;

  3. Provide updates on recent and upcoming international processes relevant to indigenous peoples and women; and

  4. Come up with an action plan and document/report on indigenous women for the Beijing+ 20 Review/CSW59.

Human Rights Day

10 December 2014, 2:47 am Written by
Published in Upcoming Events

For more details, please visit http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/

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International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Media advisory: UN commemoration of the International Day to End Violence against Women, 25 November 2014: “Orange YOUR Neighbourhood”

 

For immediate release

Date : 19 November 2014

 

What: This year’s theme to mark the International Day to End Violence against Women, 25 November, and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence is “Orange Your Neighbourhood”. The colour orange, bright and optimistic, has been designated by the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women to symbolize a better future without this pervasive human rights violation that affects as many as one in three women and girls worldwide. The iconic Empire State Building, the UN Secretariat building and large screens in Times Square in New York will be lit orange to mark the day, along with the official commemoration event at UN Headquarters.

- See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/11/un-commemoration-of-25-november-orange-your-neighbourhood#sthash.vrWlm46B.dpuf

President of the General Assembly 18 Aug. 2014 letter regarding organizational arrangements for the World Conference

 

Dear Representatives of Indigenous Peoples,

 

I refer to the High-Level Plenary meeting of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly, to be known as the “World Conference on Indigenous Peoples” to be held on 22 September 2014 and the afternoon of 23 September 2014, the modalities of which are set out in resolution 66/296. In this context, I have the honour to bring to your attention some of the key organizational arrangements for the World Conference.

 

Schedule

 

The World Conference will be held according to the following schedule:

 

22 September

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Opening plenary meeting

3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Interactive round table 1, Interactive round table 2

 

23 September

3 p.m. – 5pm. Interactive roundtable 3, Interactive panel discussion

5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Closing plenary meeting

 

Opening plenary

 

The opening plenary meeting will feature statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Heads of State or Government or high-level representatives of Member States from each regional group, the Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and three representatives of indigenous peoples.

 

The opening plenary will also include an opening ceremony involving indigenous peoples and the adoption of the World Conference outcome document.

 

Round tables and panel discussion

 

The themes for each of the round tables of the World Conference will be as follows:

 

18 August, 2014

Round table 1 “United Nations system action to implement the rights of indigenous peoples”.

Round table 2, “Implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples at the national and local level”,

Round table 3, “Indigenous peoples lands, territories and resources”.

Additionally, the theme for the panel discussion will be “Indigenous priorities for the post- 2015 sustainable development agenda”.

 

Closing plenary

 

The closing plenary meeting will comprise the presentation of summaries by the Chairs of the round tables and the panel discussion.

 

List of speakers

 

A list of speakers for the round tables and panel discussion is now open for inscription in room S-3082 (e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; telephone: 212 963 5063; fax: 212 963 3783).

 

To allow for maximum participation within the limited time available, statements in the plenary meetings and the round table and panel discussions will be limited to 3 minutes when made in an individual capacity and 5 minutes when made on behalf of groups, on the understanding that that would not preclude the distribution of more extensive texts.

You are kindly requested to inscribe for only one of the round tables or the panel discussion.

 

Further information

 

Further information, including the room allocations for the World Conference, will be communicated shortly via an information note on the organization of the high-level meetings and general debate of the sixty-ninth session, to be circulated by the Department of the General Assembly and Conference Management. A final program will also be made available on the World Conference website closer to the time of the event: http://www.un.org/en/ga/69/meetings/indigenous

 

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

 

John W. Ashe

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For additional information, please visit http://wcip2014.org/

8 August 2014

Theme: "Bridging the gap: implementing the rights of indigenous peoples"

7 to 11 July 2014

United Nations Palais des Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

For more information, please visit http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/EMRIP/Pages/Session7.aspx