View source for World Council of Indigenous Peoples

{{Artikkeli
|sivun nimi=World Council of Indigenous Peoples
|kieli=englanti
|id=0503
|artikkeliteksti=<P align="justify"> (WCIP) This organization was founded in the 1970s on the initiative of the world s indigenous peoples in order to protect their interests. It provided the impetus for the indigenous peoples movement. The father of the organization is considered to be George Manuel, the leader of the Canadian National Indian Brotherhood. In October 1975, he organized an international conference in Port Alberni, British Columbia (see pictures), in which representatives from 24 countries from different parts of the world, including America, Sápmi, Greenland and Australia, took part. The WCIP was founded at this conference, and the declaration of its principles was adopted in it. Its purpose was defined as the reinforcement of unity among indigenous peoples, the exchange of information and the strengthening of national organizations of indigenous peoples. The WCIP strives to prevent acts of physical and cultural genocide, to combat racism, to protect the political, economic and social rights of indigenous peoples and above all to create and reinforce the rights, including the cultural rights, of indigenous peoples. George Manuel was naturally elected the first President of the WCIP (picture). The WCIP was formed into an international organization, the aim of whose members was to increase the economic independence of indigenous peoples and work towards their self-determination.</P> 

<P align="justify">The member organizations of the WCIP were divided geographically into five continents: Central and South America, North America, Oceania, the Caribbean and Belize, and Europe. In the General Conference in Guatemala in 1993, these areas were subdivided into smaller areas such as Central America and Panama, the Andes and the Saami area. The reason for this was an attempt to achieve adequate geographical representation, and this can also be seen in the regulations governing the structure of the organization. Each area is represented by one member on the Board of Directors. The President and one of the two Vice-Presidents are chosen from the Central and South American region and the other Vice-President from elsewhere. The headquarters of the WCIP is in Ottawa, which is probably a consequence of the major role played by George Manueli and the NIB in its foundation. A declaration of principles adopted in the 1984 General Conference in Panama outlines in concise form the most important issues and aims of the WCIP, among which the right to self-determination, economic, social and cultural rights and land rights are particularly significant.</P> 

<P align="justify"> The General Conferences of the WCIP have been held every three or four years in different continents. The General Conference elects the Board and the President and Vice-Presidents and draws up common principles and objectives for the indigenous peoples of the world. After the inaugural meeting in Port Alberni, the following General Meetings have been held: 1977 in Kiruna, Sweden; 1981 in Canberra, Australia (picture); 1984 in Panama; 1987 in Lima, Peru; 1990in Tromsø,Norway; and1993 in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. George Manueli was succeeded as President by José Carlos &#8594; Morales (picture) from Costa Rica in 1981; Clem Chartier from Canada in 1984; Donald Rojas &#8594; Maroto from Costa Rica in 1987; and Jorge &#8594; Valiente from Argentina in 1993. The WCIP Board meets once a year. It makes preparations for the General Conferences and executes the decisions made in them. It also organizes regional and international meetings and conferences. </P> 

<P align="justify">The WCIP has advisory status (i.e. that of anNGO) in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). It is also represented on the board of the International Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CONGO). The headquarters of the WCIP was located in Ottawa, Canada until 1995. </P> 

<P align="justify"> The WCIP has also worked in the UN &#8594; Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the UN Commission on Human Rights and in the sessions of the ILO in Geneva. In order to promote the rights of indigenous peoples, the Council also considers it important to maintain partnerships with various states and international organizations such as ACNUR the High Commission of the UN for Refugees; the Project Consultant for Latin America in Costa Rica; the Development and Peace organization in Canada; the Anglican Church in Canada; the World Council of Churches in Switzerland; the Episcopalian Church in Costa Rica; the Calmeadow Foundation in Canada; and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. In the 1980s, one of the prime goals of the WCIP was to cooperate with other international actors in furthering the reform of ILO Convention 107, which led to its final adoption in 1989. In the 1990s, the WCIP cooperated with numerous other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Geneva in drafting the {{Artikkelilinkki|0532|UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples}}. </P>  

<P align="justify"> Today land and water rights,environmental issues and &#8594; human rights are interconnected, a fact which applies in particular to indigenous peoples. In 1992, the indigenous peoples of the world held their own week-long conference in Kari-Oca near Rio de Janeiro prior to the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). At the former conference, the &#8594; Kari-Oca Declaration was signed, the major assertion of which was the right of indigenous peoples to self determination. UNCED approved Agenda 21, which recognized indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge of nature and the environment and demanded that it be included in the programmes and other measures of states and international organizations. Representatives of the World Council participated in the UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 and in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. A resolution on an {{Artikkelilinkki|0529|International Decade of the World's Indigenous People}} was adopted at the UN Human Rights Conference. In this conference, the representatives of indigenous peoples demanded an urgent plan of action for the decade in order that its significance should not remain merely symbolic. The declaration and plan of action adopted in the Vienna conference recognized the unique importance of indigenous peoples for the world s biodiversity and recommended that states respect the human rights of indigenous peoples according to the principles of equality and non-discrimination. It is noteworthy that particularly the {{Artikkelilinkki|0530|ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (No. 169)}} and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is at the draft stage, define the obligations of governments towards the indigenous peoples living in their territories, although few governments have ratified ILO Convention 169. </P> 

<P align="justify"> At the Beijing Conference, the representatives of the indigenous peoples adopted their own Declaration of Indigenous Women, which demanded that states take measures to promote and reinforce the rights of the women of indigenous peoples, including the right to participate in decision-making at different levels of society. The indigenous peoples' organizations were able to set their own common action objectives and strategies in the different conferences, which yielded some positive results. The acknowledgement of women's position is also important for the women of indigenous peoples because they are frequently subjected to discrimination not only because of their origins but also because of their gender. It was decided in the &#8594; Tromsø WCIP General Conference of 1990 to found a women s network. The position of women was raised at a historic three-day &#8594; WCIP Women s General Conference in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala in 1993. The organization of this conference was carried out by a Maya indigenous women's handicraft organization called C.D.R.O (picture). The conference adopted a plan of action with the aim of enhancing the opportunities for women to participate in decision-making at different levels of social activity. One achievement of the Women s Conference was the fact that for the first time a woman was elected as a Vice-President of the WCIP: Noeli Pocaterra (picture), a representative of the Wayuu people from Venezuela. The WCIP Women's General Conference was one of a worldwide series of meetings that were held prior to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The work of the women's network has taken place mainly in connection with the conferences, and it has been the responsibility of the female members of the WCIP Board. </P> 

<P align="justify">The highlights in the history of the indigenous peoples movement were the UN General Assembly's launching ceremony for the Year of Indigenous Peoples in New York on 10 December 1992 and the official opening of the Decade of Indigenous Peoples in 1994. In the formal ceremonies of the Year of Indigenous Peoples in New York, the representatives of the indigenous peoples made speeches (&#8594;Speech and picture of Donald Rojas, President of the WCIP) in the General Assembly. The formal ceremonies were commemorated with a UN publication: Seeds of a New Partnership. Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations (1994), the foreword to which was written by Rigoberta Menchu &#8594; Tum, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the UN Ambassador for Peace in the Year of Indigenous Peoples. </p>

{{Kuvalinkki|3.jpg|The 1993 UN Human Rights Conference at the Austria Centre, Vienna. 	Right: Rigoberta Menchu Tu}}

<P align="justify">The introduction was written by another person who was highly significant in the affairs of indigenous peoples: Erica-Irene &#8594; Daes (picture), the long-serving Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The publication also includes transcripts of seventeen speeches by representatives of indigenous peoples organizations as well as of those of representatives of the UN system. The conclusion was written by Ibrahima Fall, the Secretary General of the UN Commission on Human Rights and the coordinator of the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples. An extract from &#8594; Resolution 48/163 of the General Assembly (The International Decade of Indigenous Peoples) is included as an appendix.</P> 

<P align="justify"> From the end of the 1990s on, the activities of the organization have been very meagre for a number of reasons, the most important of which is probably the announcement of the Canadian government that it would no longer be solely responsible for financing the activities of the WCIP. Another important reason is probably the fact that the member organizations of the WCIP began to receive direct funding from the UN for their own international activities, including participation in the annual meetings of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva,which enabled them to operate independently of the WCIP. The member organizations had, however, obtained positive experiences of exerting an independent influence within the WCIP at the national and international levels. It is also noteworthy that many of the persons who had served on the Board of the WCIP have in the present decade turned to national politics, and some, like the WCIP Vice-President Noeli Pocaterra in Venezuela, have even been elected to the parliaments of their respective countries. One reason for the decline in activity is perhaps the reform of the Council s rules, which was begun in the 1984 General Conference in Panama and dragged on to the end of the 1990s. The World Council should have been able to respond to new challenges swiftly , but the organization was economically weak and incapable of this, particularly when its member organizations were more interested in enhancing their own international profiles. One of the main reasons is the political failure of the Saami at the Tromsø General Conference in 1990. Their goal at that conference was to get their own candidate elected President of the WCIP. The {{Artikkelilinkki|0583|Saami Council}}, under the auspices of which the Saami were members of the WCIP, failed in this endeavour, finding itself at the last moment with two candidates instead of one. In the Saami Council, Aslak Nils &#8594; Sara, who had been Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Tromsø Conference, found himself competing against a surprise rival candidate, which spoiled his originally good chances of getting elected. The Saami had played a central role in the activities of the organization throughout its existence. After the Tromsø Conference, the WCIP Board under the presidency of Donald Rojas of Costa Rica continued its efforts to strengthen the organization. </P> 

<P align="justify">After a General Conference held in Guatemala several meetings were held in Canada and the Nordic countries under the new President, Jorge Valiente, mainly to discuss financial support with the governments of various countries. However, the results were rather disappointing despite the fact that the WCIP Board made a constructive proposal for reforming the organization. The objective of the board was to create a new type of cooperative organization . The activities of the WCIP would focus on three areas; lobbying at the international level (governments, companies and relevant organizations); disseminating information that was of importance to indigenous peoples not only to these bodies but also to the indigenous peoples themselves; and thirdly acting as a coordinating organ for activities. The organizational structure of the WCIP might then be networked without the need for a structurally cumbersome and expensive headquarters. Today the organization has no actual office, but there are plans to establish an information bureau in Geneva </P> 

<P align="justify"> The activities of the WCIP have answered the aims that were set at its foundation, and it has played a very influential role in promoting the common objectives of the world s indigenous people and reinforcing mutual understanding. The organization has been an active and respected defender of indigenous peoples and a promoter of the successful development of their rights. The principle of partnership with the rest of the global community demanded by the World Council of Indigenous Peoples has finally been realized in concrete form in the United Nations, where a forum for the world s indigenous peoples, the so-called {{Artikkelilinkki|05104|Permanent Forum}}, was established in 2002. The organizations of indigenous peoples today operate increasingly at a regional level. The Saami participate through the {{Artikkelilinkki|0521|Saami Parliaments}} and the {{Artikkelilinkki|0583|Saami Council}} in the {{Artikkelilinkki|0547|Arctic Council}}, the &#8594; Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the European Union. With the advent of cultural self-determination, they have the opportunity to influence their own future and the survival of their language and their culture. Sadly, many of the world s indigenous peoples are still struggling to achieve these human rights.</P><BR><BR>
{{Artikkelilinkki|20140716163602|Table of contents: Politics & Organizations}}<BR><BR>
|kirjoittaja=Irja Seurujärvi-Kari
|luokat=Politics & Organizations
}}