Delivered by: Eleanor P. Dictaan – Bang-oa

18 May 2016

Today, we see the destruction of mother earth because of the continuing aggression of consumerism and cash economy within and outside   our communities. Most of us are resisting because we still hold on to our notion of stewardship.  And this has cost us lives as it will cost us the lives of our children if we do not do something about it.  Enough of these human rights violations!

In the light of the full and effective implementation of the UNDRIP and state commitments to the SDGs, Paris Agreement, the CBD, the UN Agencies’ System- Wide Action Plan resulting from the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples of 2014, and human rights, in general, we recommend the following for consideration under “Future Work”  :

1.   The SDGs  or Agenda 2030 and the System-Wide Action Plan  be part of the outstanding issues under the “Follow-Up to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples” theme;

2.   Particularly under the SWAP, that there be a special session  assessing the implementation of the UNDRIP marking its 10 years of adoption;

Mr. Chairman, members of the UNPF, member states and concerned agencies of the UN, conflict is not just about arms nor is peace its absence. The culture of impunity grossly attacking indigenous peoples rights has to stop.  The manipulation of indigenous peoples rights to free prior and informed consent and self-determination by state and business interest has to stop! Sustainable development can only be pursued in an atmosphere of peace where the rights and well-being of indigenous peoples and their communities are secured. And peace comes with healing; healing with justice.

Given the magnitude of human rights issues with high probability of being galvanized in the race to Agenda 2030, we recommend that a full day session be allotted for  the UNSRIP to facilitate a dialogue with indigenous peoples and states under the Human Rights agenda item.

Further, we would like to recommend that the theme for the 16^th Session of the UNPFII next year be  on “Protection of indigenous peoples’ rights defenders and access to justice”. We support earlier recommendations to invite other specific human rights mandate holders, in this regard.

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Background

In 2014, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues decided to review its own methods of work in order to become a more effective mechanism within the UN system. In order for the Permanent Forum to be more responsive to its mandate which includes economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights, there must be an examination of, and reform in the way the Forum conducts its work.

The reform initiative is designed to involve all aspects of the Permanent Forum, ranging from its annual sessions, the role of the Expert Members and their inter-sessional work, the secretariat, and engagement with indigenous peoples, NGOs, UN agencies, member states and others.

1.   The Permanent Forum has chosen to focus upon three areas for reform:  Expanding and strengthening the work of the independent Expert Members of the Forum;

2.   Increasing the effectiveness of the secretariat of the Forum; and

3.   Enhancing the various inter-sessional activities and work of the Permanent Forum Expert Members, including their relationship with UN agencies through the Inter-Agency Support Group. There is the need to ensure close coordination with the other Indigenous specific UN mechanisms (UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples; Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) to avoid duplication and where possible to seize upon opportunities to advance urgent agenda items collectively within the UN system.

Previous organisation of work of the annual session

The previous organization of work during the annual sessions of the Permanent Forum included discussions on special themes or from the six mandated areas of the Forum; high-level panels on specific issues; dialogue with UN Agencies; and a regional focus. In addition, a large number of side-events are organized during the annual sessions by Governments, UN Agencies, Indigenous Peoples and others on a wide range of issues that are relevant to indigenous peoples.

A new way of working

In regard to reforming the work of the annual sessions, the Forum has identified the following options to improve its methods of work:

1. Identify specific issues/themes to be explored in a more comprehensive fashion at the annual sessions. This entails advance notice to all participants by posting brief concept notes on the Permanent Forum’s website and requesting participants to focus upon these issues and the corresponding questions set out in the concept notes.

2. Dividing the two-weeks of the annual session. One option is to hold open sessions for all the participants to the Permanent Forum in the first week and dedicate the second week to interactive sessions with each group, e.g. one day with member states, two days with UN agencies, funds and programmes, and two days as closed door meetings of the Forum to deliberate on its report and other urgent matters.

3. Sharpening focus on, and limiting the number of recommendations that the Permanent Forum adopts as well as limit the number of studies to be concluded by the members. This would involve creating clear and strict criteria for the adoption of recommendations. For example, they should be time bound, actionable, and with specific targets. This would streamline interventions and produce recommendations that avoid repetition and duplication. In addition, this would require a cultural change in the conduct of the session. A change in conference room dynamics also requires participants to limit their interventions and recommendations.

4. Urge indigenous peoples, member states, and interested UN agencies, NGOs, etc. to hold regional preparatory meetings (and national meetings, if possible) or thematic indigenous caucuses.

5. Explore the potential of such regional meetings to be held during times when the Permanent Forum members are in closed session in order for regional groups to dialogue and potentially reach consensus on recommendations for joint interventions (see paras 26 -29 of E.C.19/2006/10).

6. Ensuring equity in relation to indigenous peoples present at the annual session to have the opportunity to speak including the development of an advance speaker’s list

7. Improve upon the ways and means that the Permanent Forum report is adopted.

Changes for the Fifteenth Session

The Programme of Work for the fifteenth session of the Permanent Forum outlines some of the changes.

1. There will be an oral report on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum’s (previous) fourteenth session on the first day of the session.

2. There will one primary agenda item, Item 4 (Implementation of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples).

3. The major change is the introduction of a half-day closed meeting where the Permanent Forum will hold separate dialogues with:

• Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations,
• UN Agencies, programmes and Fund and
• Members States.

Each of these dialogues will provide the opportunity to focus on specific issues and identify ways forward and ways the Permanent Forum members are able to address such matters.

4. The thematic panels will be conducted in a true interactive style. This requires panellists to speak for no longer than 5-10 minutes. There is no speaker’s list and no interventions will be sought from the floor. Instead there will be true interaction between the panellists and the participants.

5. The theme of the Permanent Forum’s fifteenth session is Indigenous Peoples: conflict, peace and resolution. As this is such an important topic for indigenous peoples, a whole day has been devoted to the theme. As in previous sessions, the Programme of Work also includes Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Future Work.

6. The biggest change will be Speakers arrangements during the plenary. The Programme of Work lists both Speaker’s Lists and Interactive Dialogues.

The Speaker’s Listsare open to all those who are registered to attend the Permanent Forum as observers. These include representative from Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations, National Human Rights Institutions and Indigenous Members of Parliament. The indigenous women’s caucus and the indigenous youth caucus will be able to make statements however this does not necessarily mean they will have priority over other speakers. All speakers from these categories must put their name on the advanced speaker’s list. Speakers are only allowed to speak once under an agenda item. Speaker’s List opened on the Permanent Forum’s website in April 2016.

ForInteractive Dialogues, speakers can inscribe to the speaker’s list at the beginning such session simply by pressing the microphone button on their desk, or where desks have been set aside for this purpose – especially for those who do not have access to a microphone button. You may be asked your name and organization by staff assisting the Chairperson.

At the beginning of each meeting, Permanent Forum members will introduce the agenda item. They will also ask questions and make statements whenever they judge appropriate. Time constraints are considerable given the great number of observers who ask for the floor. The Chairperson will explain the procedure to follow at the beginning of each plenary session regarding the list of speakers and also sets time limits for interventions (3 to 5 minutes is the usual practice).

The order of speakers is determined by the Chair of the Permanent Forum

You need to provide 10 copies of your statement to translators (to be given to Conference Room Officer). You should also send your statement to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. where it will be uploaded on website after your presentation.

We hope that you will be able to participate in a meaningful way during the fifteenth session of the UN Permanent Forum.

Source: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/news/2016/05/overview-of-the-changes-to-take-place-during-the-15th-session-of-the-un-permanent-forum-on-indigenous-issues/#more-14070

(4 April 2016)- The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women invites civil society organizations and governments to apply for funding through the 20th grant cycle (2016). The deadline for submitting concept notes is 4 May 2016, 23:59 EDT (GMT–4).

Since its creation, the UN Trust Fund has awarded USD 116 million to 426 initiatives in 136 countries and territories. Its current portfolio consists of 111 grants in 76 countries and territories totaling USD 57 million.

The UN Trust Fund’s annual call for proposals accepts multi-year grant applications for up to USD 1 million. With its 20th funding cycle in 2016, the UN Trust Fund will fund organizations that qualify for funding under one of three categories: The three programmatic areas of the UN Trust Fund Strategic Plan 2015–2020, the “special window” addressing violence against women and girls in the context of the current refugee crisis and under the “by invitation only” category. In all cases, emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s ability to clearly articulate the contextual challenges, expected, specific and measurable results and strategies to achieve them, with a focus on tailored approaches and interventions to adequately address the proposed form of violence.

The ideal proposal will include references to rigorous and documented evidence to justify the investment on the basis that the approach is likely to be effective in addressing violence against women and girls at the local or national level. As the UN Trust Fund aims to expand the global knowledge base on ‘what works’ to end violence against women and girls, applications from organizations piloting, testing, up-scaling or replicating evidence-based innovative and promising results-based approaches that carry the promise of broader application are also welcome.

For more information on applying visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/trust-funds/un-trust-fund-to-end-violence-against-women/application-guidelines

MANILA, 31 March 2016 -- Sixteen women from across the Cordillera Autonomous Region and Mindanao are representing the Philippines in the Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Indigenous Women Forum (IIWF-FIMI).

Implemented in Bolivia, Peru, India and the Philippines, the programme seeks to empower indigenous women leaders and activists to advocate for human rights, food and nutrition security.

FAO reports that while indigenous peoples constitute only about five percent of the world’s population -- most are in Asia -- they account for about 15 percent of the world’s poor.

The main causes of marginalization, said Yon Fernandez de Larrinoa, FAO’s Global Advocacy officer on Indigenous Peoples, are related to the violation of their rights.

“It is crucial that we pave the way for indigenous women to have a strategic role in our quest to achieving zero hunger and other interrelated goals for sustainable development,” he said.

Capping off the observance of National Women’s Month in the country, Filipino participants of the Global Leadership School gathered in Manila for intensive face-to-face seminars with experts that will reinforce the lessons they have learned through an earlier virtual learning platform.

Addressing participants, FAO representative in the Philippines José Luis Fernández said, “Indigenous women bear the burden of discrimination related to gender and ethnicity, among others but this should not deter you from moving forward in charting a brighter future for your communities. In the years that FAO has been working in the Philippines, we have witnessed how Filipino indigenous women are extremely capable of advocating for positive change and being development partners.”

“This is the first time that I am able to join a gathering of indigenous women from different parts of the country and even from outside our country. We can see a democratic dialogue and we are learning through sharing our experiences and listening to the experiences of others,” said Elsie Mokudef, a Teduray from Maguindanao province.

“It’s time for us indigenous women to break our silence. It’s time for us to speak up. Then and now, we see in communities that only a few women are given the opportunity to participate in decision making and this is usually because they are insecure about speaking,” she added.

Gender equality and empowering indigenous peoples are central to FAO’s mandate of achieving food security for all. In the Philippines, FAO has been working with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local government units to build the resilience of vulnerable indigenous communities and indigenous women to natural disasters through climate adaptive agroforestry methods that take into account their centuries-old farming systems. (PR)

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/local-news/2016/03/31/indigenous-women-represent-philippines-global-leadership-school-465283