APIYN Presentation to the Second Session of
the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Agenda 4(b) Environment
by Jiten Yumnam of Centre for Organisation, Research and Education.
12-23 May 2003

Mr. Chairman,

On behalf of the Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network, I , would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to make this presentation. I would like to begin affirming that youths are the inheritors of the unique values, given to our ancestors and protected by our elders, of sustainable traditional practices of our environment that emanates from our indigenous concepts and practices of land stewardship, use, management and transfer. However, a close examination of a decade after the United Nations Conference, on Environment and Development in Rio De Janeiro in 1992 revealed that developmental practices implemented by WTO-GATT, WB, IMF and other international development bodies.

The promises of Rio conference and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002 to ensure a sustainable, equitable and participatory process has yet to be realized, as development projects, mega dams, huge corporate mining projects, loggings and others are being enforced on our ancestral lands without our free, prior and informed consent, causing irreparable damages to our lands and resources. The absolute and sovereign rights of indigenous peoples to their lands and natural resources has not being accorded primary consideration for any negotiation concerning any use of our resources for any of these developmental projects. The follow up process of Rio conference and World Summit on Sustainable Development failed to respect the recommendations of these conferences, especially concerning the involving of indigenous youths in decision making process concerning sustainable use of environment. For instance, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change failed to recognize participation of indigenous peoples and youths in all climate change negotiations. And many national governments failed to respect the participation and involvement of Indigenous peoples and youths in the policy planning process for conservation and sustainable use of environment.

The process of initiating developmental projects in indigenous peoples land and territories in Asia-pacific region are anti-people, undemocratic, anti-environment and anti-life. Mega-dams, illegal Iogging, corporate mining continues to operate aggressively in Chittagong Hill Tract in (Bangladesh), indigenous lands in Burma, India's North East region, Cordillera (Philippines), Kalimantan (Indonesia) and many pacific islands.

Imposition of privatization, de-regulation and economic structural adjustment program have further supported or favored corporate or elite groups, which often causes conflicts between peoples, peoples and governments and violence, compounded by the intensive militarization process associated with such developmental projects. Human rights violations victimizing indigenous peoples continues to be a concerning phenomenon.

Development projects, while bringing untold misery, failed to encompass the issues of human rights, ecological consequences, genuine ecological and economic sustainability of indigenous peoples. The right to information to planning, implementation and evaluation to any development projects has not been respected. In situations, the governments have maintained stern positions that information on development project are not for public consumption thus denying democratic rights for indigenous peoples in assertion of our rights.

INDIGENOUS YOUTHS DEMANDS

The Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network would like to urge upon members of the Permanent Forum to recommend to member states, UN agencies and other intergovernmental agencies to ensure participation of indigenous youths in all environment protection mechanisms, especially the follow up of the Agenda 21 and WSSD. The recommendation must also include to ensure the active and full participation of indigenous youths in all the future activities and process of the Permanent Forum and other United Nations activities.

The indigenous youths would like to request Permanent Forum to urge upon member states of United Nations to adopt United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to ratify and observe ILO Convention 169.

The indigenous youths demands full recognition of our right to Self Determination and to the full recognition of our rights as indigenous peoples and to fight mega projects that cause severe physical and environmental destructions and to our inherent rights to a free, prior and informed consent over all issues affecting us.

The indigenous Youths again urges members of the Permanent Forum to recommend to urge upon member states of United Nations for a complete and immediate withdrawal of all military and Para military personnel and resources in indigenous peoples territories.

As the primary purpose of establishing Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network has been to ensure that the youths are able to contribute effectively in the fight against this undemocratic process, the indigenous youths are gearing up to build up more strengthen and solidarity among ourselves, to expand the youth movement for a nationalist, mass oriented, scientific education that ensures the respect and promotion of indigenous people's rights and for effective and exemplary contributions of the youths in the democratic struggles of indigenous peoples.

In this aspect, we would like to urge upon the members of the Permanent Forum to urge upon governments, United Nations agencies, indigenous peoples organizations to strengthen support of indigenous youth organizations in all initiatives for our empowerment and capacity building to enable us better contribute in strengthening indigenous peoples movement in asserting our inherent rights.