UNDRIP Report - English FINAL - International Forum on Globalization

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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 63
their lands and natural resources. He said, “…an emerging campaign of IEN and the <strong>International</strong> Indian Treaty Council and other indigenous organizations in the global South as well as the North (is) to work around this campaign of lifting up policies around free prior informed consent. So it is so good for you to be aware of that.” In addition, Goldtooth acknowledged the work of NGOs in supporting indigenous peoples within the REDDs discussion, but also expressed the reality that at some point indigenous peoples will have to work out issues among themselves. In his appreciation of current partnerships, Goldtooth remarked, “We need to have that relationship, and that support and alliance of NGOs and entities like the <strong>International</strong> <strong>Forum</strong> on Globalization, which convened this meeting, so there is a strong role to continue this brotherhood and sisterhood in building solidarity.” Jerry Mander of the IFG talked about his internal process of viewing the issues presented in both a macro and a micro way. He agreed with Tom Kruse that “it is a moment for big concepts now, for big thinking, for citing the mega importance of doing things that can influence the state of things in the world” and referenced the IFG’s latest conference of progressive economists to define effective, viable postcapitalist models. He noted that in terms of overall models, indigenous people are both pre- and postcapitalist. Mander also suggested that the model put forth by Victoria Tauli-Corpuz—paying indigenous people for saving the forests and sequestering carbon—shouldbe addressed further. Most significantly, Mander put forth for discussion the question of whether to create a formal body out of the convened group. He believed in starting a formal but loose international alliance or network in support of indigenous peoples, to raise the <strong>UNDRIP</strong> flag internationally. He proposed five ideas as a framework for the alliance and asked whether the group could agree on the principles, or other commonalties, in order to give the group strength and amplify its efforts: • This is a time of great planetary economic and ecological emergency. Indigenous peoples offer a positive way forward to sustainability, i.e., they offer a vision and practice toward a positive, alternative, future mode of organization… • We recognize that protecting the rights and lands of indigenous peoples is crucial to the future of all peoples and our own member organizations… • The organization strongly supports <strong>UNDRIP</strong> and all its codicils… • The organization actively seeks to apply <strong>UNDRIP</strong> as widely as possible and establish internal programs to that effect… • Our organization applies some of the principles of <strong>UNDRIP</strong> internally (in some way we can figure out)… Steve Kretzmann of Oil Change <strong>International</strong> identified the antiquated processes of the UN in dealing with civil society, indigenous peoples, and environmental NGOs. He stated that the UN Secretariat only listens to representatives of CAN (Climate Action Network), and that this one point of contact cannot adequately address the broader issues of civil society. This limited point of contact must be addressed for richer dialogue as climate negotiations move forward. Tom Goldtooth stressed the importance of having a diversity of people working on the climate issue, and hopes to see the emergence of a grassroots movement of people from around the world. Ideally this global movement will be a foundation for the NGOs, policy groups, and others who are working on climate issues. He stressed the importance of this foundation in terms of legitimacy in the eyes of industry and governments, and also talked about the need to nurture our networks once they are formed. Goldtooth mentioned the social forums as an example of strongly organized networks. Kristen Walker Painemilla of Conservation <strong>International</strong> inquired into the commitments made by the group from the last time it met, and whether any of those commitments had been met. She questioned how to build on current funding, existing networks, and existing initiatives on indigenous peoples. “I don’t think we should be rebuilding the wheel, I think we should be building on existing initiatives catalyzed by indigenous people and other organizations to move [existing networks] forward,” Walker Painemilla said. In response to the proposal to create a new formal network, she replied that it was an admirable idea but “we have inadequate representation here from 64
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[Strategy Session] IMPLEMENTING THE
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[ S U M M A R Y R E P O R T ] I M P
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INT ROD UCT IO N Victor Menotti of
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determine the Alliance’s prioriti
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spiritual practices that are not bu
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Discussion Trevor Stevenson of the
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utilize members of the indigenous S
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Page 39 and 40: Secondly, Ole Simel made the point
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Page 57 and 58: could [potentially] generate $50 bi
Page 59 and 60: Discussion Athena Ballesteros of th
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UNDRIP Report - English FINAL - International Forum on Globalization

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