Canadian Inuit leader states: “A dark day for aboriginal Canadians and all indigenous peoples worldwide”
Ottawa, 29 November 2006 The Inuit of Canada today condemned the split vote by the United Nations General Assembly (GA) to postpone consideration of the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The UN Human Rights Council already adopted the Declaration in June of this year and recommended that the General Assembly do the same during its current session.
Duane Smith, the president of the Canadian section of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) to say that “it is a dark day for aboriginal Canadians and all indigenous peoples worldwide”.
The resolution to postpone consideration of adoption was proposed by Namibia, and strongly supported and influenced by New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada. Indigenous leaders believe that a number of countries worked to postpone consideration in order to kill the Declaration. Most African nations voted to stall the process.
While the resolution calls for more consultation, and for a final text before the end of next year’s GA session, the ICC Canada president is less optimistic. “I feel our decades-long work undertaken in good faith has been undermined by our government. ICC took a lead in encouraging other indigenous peoples organizations to agree to numerous compromises proposed by governments along the way and now we are told the current draft, which is not even legally-binding, is in need of still further work”. Mr. Smith says he is incredulous and disheartened with the position taken by Canada, and is also disappointed that the African countries agreed to take the lead on this initiative.
President of the national Inuit organization, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), Mary Simon stated, “This vote proves, once again, that the rights of indigenous peoples around the world cannot rest entirely on the goodwill of state governments. I can only hope that the calls and commitments for greater transparency over the next eight months are serious and meant in good faith.” Ms. Simon, who has been intimately involved in the drafting of the text since 1983, says that Canada will have a tough road ahead to convince people that it is simply not playing the politics of those that have traditionally opposed indigenous peoples’ rights the USA, Australia, and New Zealand.
Several indigenous leaders in New York vowed to walk away from the table completely unless they are given complete assurance from those that proposed the delay that they will be fully and meaningfully involved in any process that ensues. Mr. Smith hopes Canada “will now use its influence to insist that indigenous peoples have a full and meaningful seat at the table.”
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For more information:
Corinne Gray
Executive Director
ICC Canada
Ph: 613.563.2642
cgray@inuitcircumpolar.com
Stephen Hendrie
Director of Communications
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Ph: 613.277.3178
hendrie@itk.ca