First published on 05/25/2016, and last updated on 03/25/2018
By: Yolanda Sikking and Jeanette Sequeira, Global Forest Coalition
The Fifteenth Session of the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues took place from 9 – 20th May at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. A key feature of this year’s session was the launch of the System-Wide Action Plan, by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. This is a six-point plan that addresses key issues towards the full realisation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) at the national level. The theme of the fifteenth session was ‘Indigenous Peoples: Conflict, Peace and Resolution’, which served as a strong platform for Indigenous Peoples to discuss the deplorable conflicts occurring in their homelands and to make recommendations to end them. Many Indigenous Peoples called for their own Member States to recognise and implement the rights enshrined in the UNDRIP, particularly land rights. At the international level, many voices echoed the need to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples at UN bodies and processes. There were many inspiring interventions and side events led by Indigenous Peoples during the Permanent Forum, including many women’s and youth groups. The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) also held a side event on the subjects of land and resource conflicts, the resilience of community conservation, and ICCAs. The speakers discussed the destructive land and resource conflicts faced by communities in Malaysia, Kenya and Colombia, and the resilience and initiatives of communities to combat this, with a special focus on the Community Conservation Resilience Initiative (CCRI) processes in their communities.
For more information please contact Jeanette Sequeira.
