Indigenous peoples attack UK for blocking UN declaration
16/11/2004
- Opinión
The world's indigenous people are targetting the UK government for
blocking an historic UN declaration on indigenous rights. The UK has
decided that collective human rights do not exist - a position which could
harm tribal and indigenous peoples around the world.
This year marks the end of the UN Decade of Indigenous Peoples,
during which a draft declaration on their rights has been completed
following hundreds of consultations with indigenous representatives. The
declaration would be the strongest international agreement on indigenous
peoples.
Collective rights are vital for tribal peoples, particularly the
right to communal ownership of their land. Mining and other companies are
starting to have to recognise the rights of tribes to decide what happens
on their land, and to seek tribal peoples' free and informed consent - but
if such consent is to be meaningful, it can only be given or withheld
collectively.
Inuit woman Dalee Sambo Dorough says, 'The UK position that our
collective rights are not human rights is nonsense. Is this Tony
Blair's idea of spreading "the values of freedom, democracy, the rule of
law, and justice for the oppressed"? Such contradictions and
inconsistencies being expressed by the UK government should not be
tolerated by their citizens. They will not be tolerated by indigenous
peoples.'
Azelene, a Kaingang Indian woman from Brazil, adds, ' I remember my
first meeting at the UN. We were defending our collective rights. A
UK diplomat surprised me with the coldness with which he referred to
indigenous peoples. He looked at me and said, "I can't recognise the
collective rights of you people. I don't see any difference in you - we
are all the same." So I spoke to him in Kaingang, the language of my
people. There was no translation, and I asked him if he'd understood what
I'd said and he replied, "No." Then I looked at him again and said,
"That's why I'm different. Because only my people speak this language."'
A delegation of indigenous people will be in the UK on 24 and 25
November to protest against the UK government's stance.
https://www.alainet.org/de/node/110879?language=en
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