>Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 21:10:12 -0800 (PST) >From: teryani@ucsd.edu (Teryani Riggs) >Subject: Update from Geneva - 29 Oct 1996 ______________________________________________________________________ N E T W A R R I O R S netwarriors@hookele.com INDIGENOUS PEOPLES GLOBAL CAUCUS http://hookele.com/netwarriors Intersessional Working Group on the UNITED NATIONS DRAFT DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Geneva, Switzerland 29 October 1996 ______________________________________________________________________ Sending our Deep Appreciation to our Sisters and Brothers once again. Much has occured. Some of our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters have left the forum and many have remained. Those who left were clear and articulate on the fact that they were not closing the doors for their participation but that they were going to re-evaluate the situation based on the realities of the international impressions and local strategies... in a collective effort with their people at home. Those who left feel strongly as you know from their statements that they are going to implement strategies at home, priniciples found in the draft need real effects. This was the feeling and a portion of the objectives. Those who remain are of various minds all resorting to the best possible positions they feel they need to take in order to protect and defend the integrity of the people they represent. As we stated last week many here expressed their emergent and immediate concerns regarding this document due to war, bloodshed, slave labor, etc. Others are defending the draft by placing interventions on the articles to counter the states opposing positions. Others are silent and monitoring the situation on all levels and others are remaining outside the room - waiting. States are continuing their positions as planned with their governments before they came here. They have really not changed those original objectives only taken a little longer to achieve it. The Chair is gathering written proposals for changes that governments present in their interventions. There is a question as to whether these proposals may possibly become a guiding factor to the agenda for the next working group. There have been no further negotiations with the chair. Some governments have been very supportive of indigenous concerns and it has been a repeated concern on their part that they don't want to have a document that does not enjoy the full participation of indigenous peoples. Fiji, Norway, Nordic Councils, Greenland Homerule and Bolivia have been very supportive. The USA has new delegates this week and their interventions are very similar to the positions they presented to the participants in the consultative meetings they had prior to this session. There are many other indigenous peoples who have come this week - not having been here last week they are prepared to work. We are trying very hard to maintain cohesiveness in our diversity and feel there is strong sense of support and solidarity still. The Netwarriors are meeting to discuss the solidarity found in our global family on the internet. We have been asked to meet sometime this year. There are some meetings coming up where we can meet. We are compiling a list of those who have sent in their unrelenting support and will send out a draft plan which we can discuss while here with the Global Caucus this week. Your letters are still coming in and they are a continuing encouragement. After Thursday (your Wednesday if you're in the states) we will not be able to receive faxes... however our E-Mail is online. ______________________________________________________________________ A number of documents have been recently added to the website: Statement of the Chickasaw Nation, 24 Oct. Statement by The First Nations of North America, Le Courrier (Geneva), 3 Oct. UN INDIGENOUS MEETING ENDS WITH AN ECLAT, Le Courrier (Geneva), 22 Oct. GOVERNMENTS GIVE AN INCH TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, Suddeeursche Zeitung (Munich), 22 Oct. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' REPRESENTATIVES WALK OUT OF MEETING, Le Courrier (Geneva), 21 Oct. Plus Individual Delegates analysis of the U.S. position Oct. 23, 24 & 25. ______________________________________________________________________ Contact People: Latin America: Marcelo Orellana Coordinacion Pueblos Indigenos Cento y Sud America Pacific Region: Moana Sinclair Te Kawau Maro North America: Steve Newcomb Indigenous Law Institute East Asia: Boris Voyer International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs ______________________________________________________________________ N E T W A R R I O R S netwarriors@hookele.com http://hookele.com/netwarriors fax: + 41 22 917 0303 Kekula P. Bray-Crawford, Pacific Peoples Indigenous Organization Committee/IITC Lori Pourier, Indigenous Womens' Network Crystal Echohawk, Indigenous Womens' Network Steve Newcomb, Indigenous Law Institute