APA..Newsletter # 3
International News..Indigenous Peoples Meet in Geneva to Discuss the Establishment of a Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples Within the United Nations

Representatives of Indigenous peoples from all parts of the World met in Geneva, Switzerland, on 12-13 February to discuss with Government and United Nations staff how a Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples can be established within the UN. The Permanent Forum would be a body composed equally of Indigenous peoples and governments that will oversee and recommend international action on the rights and well-being of Indigenous peoples. It will operate at the highest level of the UN and for the first time provide Indigenous peoples with an active and equal voice in the development of UN policy and actions.

The Permanent Forum is not new: it was first proposed in the Final Declaration of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, gaining the approval of all governments present there. Two meetings were held between governments and Indigenous peoples in 1995 and 1996 to further discuss the issue. Since that time, the UN Commission on Human Rights has established a Working Group on the establishment of the Permanent Forum to further elaborate the composition and mandate of the Permanent Forum.

Among other things, the February meeting recommended that the Forum, "make recommendations to the ECOSOC and/or General Assembly on urgent problems requiring immediate attention with regard to Indigenous Peoples and to develop proposals to give effect to such recommendations;" and, that the Forum be composed of an equal number of Indigenous and government members, with Indigenous peoples freely choosing their representatives.

While the Permanent Forum has received widespread support from Indigenous peoples and governments worldwide, there are still a few issues to be negotiated before it can start work. Unfortunately, the government of Guyana has not participated in any of the discussions about the Forum.