INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF
NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR THE PROMOTION AND
PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (ICC)
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
27th SESSION, 8 to 26 SEPTEMBER 2014
ITEMS 3 & 5
RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Mr. President,
The International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC) congratulates Ms Victoria Lucia Corpuz on her appointment as the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and welcomes her report as well as the reports of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The ICC supports the recommendations of the Expert Mechanism in its report to the Council, including the ones relating to access to justice for indigenous peoples, business and human rights, human rights defenders as well as the call for States to address the concerns of indigenous peoples in the post-2015 development agenda, all of which are very relevant to the work of NHRIs.
NHRIs play an essential role in bridging the gap between international standards and the application of such standards at the national level. NHRIs provide advice in the formulation of legislation and policies, raise awareness, undertake research, and conduct inquiries into individual or systemic human rights abuses relating to indigenous peoples.
In this regard, the ICC thanks and commends the OHCHR, in particular the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section, for its continued support towards NHRIs through the multitude of initiatives ranging from strategic partnerships to capacity building programmes.
Mr. President,
Indigenous peoples remain as one of the most marginalised and disadvantaged communities in many countries, whose human rights continue to be undermined, particularly in the context of development. The failure or reluctance of governments to recognise indigenous peoples has been identified by the Special Rapporteur as one of the prevailing obstacles that impede the full enjoyment of indigenous peoples’ rights. This situation is in contradiction to the fundamental principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly seven years ago.
Furthermore, it is necessary to analyze the disproportionate impact that internal armed conflicts are causing to the physical, spiritual and material survival of indigenous peoples in order to prioritize prevention and protection by the States of their violated rights and likewise define care policies and programs, comprehensive reparation and restitution of land rights.
The ICC therefore sees the upcoming World Conference on Indigenous Peoples as a timely and important forum for Member States to renew their commitments and address the many drawbacks in the implementation of this instrumental Declaration.
Within this context, the ICC considers of utmost importance, in order to have a comprehensive Declaration that effectivelypromotes andprotects the rightsof indigenous peoples, that the World Conference addresses the following topics, among others:the rights ofindigenous peoples totheir geneticmaterial;ancestral knowledge; rightsof indigenous peoplesin voluntary isolation; indigenous justicesystemand the principle ofcoordination betweenlegal systems;the right toconsultationandfree, priorand informed consent;participation rightsin matters of publicinterest;the useof the armed forcesin the territoriesof indigenous peoples; rightsto healthand good living; and obligationsof transnational corporations.
The ICC strongly hopes that the World Conference will result in a meaningful action-oriented outcome document, which would pave the way for more intensified efforts by Member States in fully realizing the goals of the Declaration towards greater promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples worldwide.
Thank you.
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