Talking points for Roundtable Conference on
Indigenous Peoples and the new Post 2015 Development Agenda
8 and 9 October 2015
Presentation under agenda item on: The wayforward: how to ensure the respect and
protection of indigenous peoples' rights in the implementation of the 2030 Development
Agenda (9 October,from 9am to 12:30pm)
.
o Thank you to IWGIA for the opportunity to be here at this roundtable discussion.
o
I have enjoyed the discussions on the two previous modules: (1) lessons learned from
indigenous peoples' engagement in the post 2015 process; and (2) assessment of the
outcome document of the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post 2015
development agenda.
o
The discussion and conclusions reached are important for this module's discussion on
the way forward, and how to ensure that indigenous peoples' rights are ensured and
respected as we implement the 2030 Development Agenda.
o
As many of you are aware, the IJN Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
Division for Social Policy and Development, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, is organizing a brainstorming on 22 and 23 October in New York to
discuss this very issue.
I look forward to seeing many of you there. I will certainly
take back the conclusions of this meeting to the brainstorming session.
o With respect to how to proceed from here forward, I believe that the Agenda's focus
on reducing inequalities
will be an important foothold for indigenous
peoples. As we
-
all know, indigenous peoples face numerous kinds of discrimination and inequalities
in terms of social and economic development, in terms of land security and in terms of
political participation, to name a few. Indigenous women confront additional
challenges in terms of inequality.
v
o
The Agenda refers in numerous places to the issue of inequality:
o
It identifies rising inequalities as an immense challenge that must be confronted
(e.g. in paragraph 14);
It
sets a normative basis for addressing inequalities, grounded in human rights
commitments of States to equality and non-discrimination, with specific
reference to international human rights treaties "and other international
instruments relating to human rights" (paragraph 19);
a
It also focuses on leaving no one behind and pledges that the goals and targets
are to be met
"for all peoples and for all segments of society, and that efforts
will be made "to
reach the furthest behind first" (paragraph 4); and
Goal 10 is specifically dedicated to reducing inequalities within and among
countries.
With this entry point in the Agenda aimed at ensuring equality and leaving no one
behind, including targeting those furthest behind first, I would like to outline some
of
the areas where we can take strategic action in the follow up
to ensure that the 2030
Agenda includes indigenous peoples.
o{
first task is to analyze and identiff the most relevant goals and targets
of the
Agenda for indigenous peoples. As we have been discussing
during this workshop, the
goals and targets fall into different clusters relevant to the
rights of indigenous
peoples' These respond to both some of the root causes
and also the manifestations
of
inequality:
There are goals and targets that deal with social and economic
rights, like
poverty reduction, health and education (Goals
r,3,4
and g);
There are goals and targets related to access to and security
land, food security,
agricultural production, and equitable sharing of benefits arising from
the
utilization of genetic resources and traditional knowledge (Goal2);
There are goals and targets related to gender equality and empowerment
of
women (Goal 5);
There are goals and targets related to climate change, sustainable
management
and use of forests and other natural resources (Goals 12,13
and
l5); and
There are goals and targets related to access to justice, building
inclusive
institutions, and eliminating discriminatory laws and policies (Goals
l0 and l6)
r
Within each of these areas, different priorities for indigenous peoples
will need to be
identified. Following this process of refection and analysis, strategic
programmatic
action to achieve implementation of the priority goals and
targets can be developed.
o
In this connection, a second, related area is to identi$r programmatic opportunities
for incorporation of indigenous peoples' issues. The possible opportunities for
influencing programmatic action exist at different levels.
o
At the international level, opportunities for incorporating indigenous issues
within efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda could include influencing intergovernmental negotiations, such as those on climate change and access to
v
benefit sharing associated with the use of genetic resources and traditional
knowledge, for example.
Also at the international level, we will have to identify other relevant activities
and projects carried out by the various agencies, funds and programmes of the
uN system connected to the 2030 Agenda. The permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues and the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum could have an
important role to play in regard to identi$ring such opportunities and pushing
for strategic programming.
Further, at the national level, efforts to engage with governments on the Agenda
and to ensure that indigenous peoples are taken into account in government
programming to implement the 2030 Agenda, will need to be identified.
Also at the national level, it will be important to aim to include specific
references to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for indigenous peoples in
the UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs). I would like to note
that the system-wide action plan on indigenous peoples currently being
developed could be a useful tool in this regard. One focus of the action plan is
to work with country teams to ensure that indigenous issues are reflected
in the
UNDAFs. The action plan could be used
as an entry
point for ensuring that
{INDAFs incorporate specific commitments to meeting the goals and targets for
indigenous peoples and the action plan can thus be used as an entry point
for
incorporating commitments to meet the 2030 Agenda goals and targets
for
indigenous peoples in the UNDAFs.
Third, it will be necessary to ensure that indigenous peoples are taken into
account in
monitoring and follow up.
Here, it
will be important to discuss how to ensure that indigenous peoples are
taken into account in data collected at the national and global levels
to measure
development progress for indigenous peoples. This could include
the
identification of indigenous specific or relevant indicators.
It will also be important to strategi ze abouthow indigenous peoples
can ensure
that they are reflected in data collected at national level and
that they can
participate in measures to achieve the Agenda.
Also with respect to monitoring, it will be important to identify how
the tIN
system might assist in monitoring of the Agenda for indigenous
peoples. For
example, the Agenda notes that the functional commissions
of ECOSOC as well
as other forums
will
engage in thematic follow up of the Agenda (paragraph
85). I believe that the permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
can play a key
role here.
Specifically, the Permanent Forum could engage in a periodic review of the
status of implementation of the 2030 Agenda goals and targets--or at least
priority goals and targets-for indigenous peoples. As you know, the Forum
followed the MDG process closely. It will continue to follow the
implementation of the SDGs, representing as it does and important platform for
bringing indigenous issues to the attention of ECOSOC and related bodies,
which could include the High Level Political Forum that will be established to
oversee follow up and review of the Agenda at the global level. Strategies for
engaging the high level political forum can be discussed.
o
I was recently at a breakfast meeting organized by Finland, Mexico, South Africa with
the HC/HR and LrN WOMEN that was premised on putting the promise of equality
and non-discrimination at the heart of the 2030 Development Agenda. It was
encouraging that many of the speakers referred to indigenous peoples. Key message
was that no target can be met
if not met for all.
o I look forward to hearing the thoughts of others on some of these issues identifiedanalysis of the agenda, identiSing programmatic opportunities, and monitoring and
follow up-and on other strategies for ensuring the protection of indigenous peoples
rights as we move into the implementation phase of the Agenda.
r
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Division of Social Policy and
Development
will
continue to support your work to ensure that the rights
of
indigenous peoples are a core part of implementation of the 2030 Agenda.