UNDRIP Report - English FINAL - International Forum on Globalization

to lobby on big issues, and I hope this is also coming
to our region. We would be very grateful if there was
an opportunity to cooperate on indigenous rights
and participation in climate change issues in our
region.”
Under Soviet rule, people were not allowed to speak
up about environmental or climate change concerns,
and there is still not an open and democratic process
in Kyrgyzstan, which makes NGO work very
challenging. According to Abdyrasulova, her region
is experiencing complex environmental justice issues,
as her poor and marginalized high mountain
communities face the interwoven issues of carbon
dioxide emissions and environmental quality.
Kyrgyzstan is a small country of only 5 million
people, but has very high biodiversity. It is currently
of great interest internationally because of its gold
mines. She stated that civil society is not equipped to
deal with these issues due to the lack of a democratic
government and the need for capacity building.
Abdyrasulova hopes that international collaboration
can address these issues. Agreeing with both Tom
Goldtooth and Jenny Springer, Abdyrasulova also
hopes to engage in the issue of translation, and how
to utilize strategies and tools to organize and build
capacity on a regional, and then an international
level.
Claire Greensfelder of the IFG posed to the group
the following questions:
• How can we internalize <strong>UNDRIP</strong> within our
own organizations?
• Should NGOs be held accountable to the
same standards we are demanding of
corporations, governments, and global
institutions?
• Are there joint actions we should take
together at upcoming meetings?
• Can we make joint agreements and
statements in support of specific actions?
• Can our organizations consider adopting
<strong>UNDRIP</strong> as internal policy?
• Can we remain together as an action group?
• We are trying to build commitments and
relationships, so how should we proceed?
Discussion
Janet Redman of the Institute for Policy Studies
spoke of the importance of capacity building within
the current networks in order to produce materials
that support the most effective implementation of
<strong>UNDRIP</strong>. She emphasized the use of relevant
languages when creating these materials, as well
working within the current timeline of upcoming
meetings and events. Specifically, Redman named
the network of organizations called Climate Justice
Now that came out of Bali in 2007, and noted the
importance of the “justice lens” through which it
organizes events and actions to address climate
change. In addition, Redman wondered how we can
expand indigenous representation within both
formal and informal networks and spaces.
Paul L. Little, of the Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation, citing his experience as an
anthropologist, noted that indigenous rights issues
tend to get framed solely within an environmental
context and that we need to be careful that
indigenous peoples’ rights are not deemed
important only to the degree to which they address
environmental issues, such as reducing emissions.
Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental
Network (EIN) thought the group was off to a good
start, and recalled his prior experiences addressing
environmental racism within environmental
organizations and, despiteserious challenges,
changing the ways environmental organizations and
NGO’s work with indigenous peoples and people of
color. He believes we need an established protocol:
NGOs should adopt principles of environmental
justice as the first step in a commitment to reframe
the way we currently work with indigenous peoples,
as well as indigenous leadership.
Goldtooth also noted the importance of free prior
informed consent (FPIC), which is the right of
indigenous people to self-determination, and to
implement valid treaties and agreements concerning
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