6th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Indigenous Youth Statement on the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Agenda Item 5 :
Second International Decade of Indigenous Peoples

By Jennifer Awingan
Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network and Youth Caucus of the Permanent Forum

Madame Chairperson, this is a joint statement of the Asia-Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN) and the Indigenous Youth Caucus of the Permanent Forum on the Second International Decade of the World’s  Indigenous Peoples. We also wish to inform you that this statement was an output of the  Asia-Pacific Youth Conference that place in April 18-22, 2007 in Baguio City which was actively attended by 145 indigenous youth from 15 countries of Asia-Pacific.  This Conference would not have been successful without the support of the UN Voluntary Fund for the Second Decade and other donors to whom we wish to extend our sincere gratitude.       

The first decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was historical in raising the profile of indigenous peoples at the regional and international levels. Likewise, the establishment of the Permanent Forum is another milestone for indigenous peoples’ engagement at the United Nations Level. However, indigenous peoples still continue to be marginalized at varying levels especially the indigenous women and youth.  
 
As we welcome the Second Decade of Indigenous People, we hope that there will be more concrete programme, projects and activities addressing the issues and concerns of indigenous youth, including their sustained capacity building to enhance our greater and wider participation in various activities and tasks in strengthening indigenous peoples movements. We also expect more services and assistance to address the particular needs and welfare of the indigenous children and youth. In this regard, we commit ourselves in forging greater unity and cooperation amongst the indigenous youth, to our elders, to other indigenous organizations and communities, to support groups and institutions, to UN agencies, funds and programmes, governments and others.

We express our concern on the continuing limited participation of Indigenous youth in decision-making processes in the local, regional and international levels, and the limited integration of our perspectives and experiences in decision making processes that have great impact on our survival as peoples. We wish to be given more space and avenues for participation, while we endeavor to build our capacity in order to deliver our greatest contribution and participation to indigenous struggles and movements for the recognition of our collective rights and to promote the welfare of the youth.

Madame Chairperson, we wish to put forward our recommendations and we hope that the Permanent Forum will give it due consideration for the advancement of the concerns of the indigenous youth.

1. We call on UNPFII, UN agencies and governments to support forums and regional networks of indigenous youth and their capacity-building activities and programmes. In particular, we request for concrete support and assistance for the holding of a global indigenous youth conference as part of the Second International decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This activity shall serve to highlight and generate greater attention and support to the needs, concerns, welfare and aspirations of the indigenous youth. We strongly propose that this historical gathering of the world’s indigenous youth will take place the soonest possible in the first half of the decade.

2. We call on the UN agencies, funds and programmes to support and assist in the conduct of national and regional indigenous youth training workshops for capacity building. This training workshop is expected to result to greater participation of indigenous youth in national, regional and international processes relating to indigenous peoples and the youth sector

3. We call on UN Agencies, funds and programmes, and governments to give special attention to the needs and welfare of indigenous children and youth in all their programmes and activities relating to indigenous peoples. This shall include   cultural exchange activities among indigenous youth, skills-share and others.  In this regard, resources and budget shall be allocated to ensure the implementation of programmes and projects relating to indigenous children and youth.

4. We call for the establishment of local and national institutions for the promotion of indigenous culture. These shall be managed and directed by indigenous peoples with the direct participation of indigenous youth.

5. We call on the UNPF to actively support initiatives and projects of indigenous youth on the protection and promotion of environmentally sound practices relating to arts, poetry, films, music among others, which are designed to promote awareness.

6. To recommend for the inclusion of indigenous youth representatives in IP related bodies such as the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for the Second Decade and other similar bodies. Likewise, to ensure the inclusion and direct participation of representatives on indigenous youth in the in the monitoring of the implementation of UN IP Decade

7. To recommend the development of specific indicators on the well being of indigenous youth which shall then be used in designing particular programme of action for indigenous youth by UN agencies, funds and programmes

Finally, we call upon the UN agencies, funds and programmes, governments and organizations to work together and actively implement the more than 900 recommendations on youth and children on education, health, other basic social services, culture, made by the Permanent Forum since its first meeting. The implementation of these recommendations are very very critical in the well being of indigenous children and youth, and we believe these will also make invaluable difference in the work of the Permanent forum to indigenous communities around the world.

Thank you.