Briefing Statement of Ms Eleanor Dictaan-Bang-oa
28 June 2022
Good morning and thank you for this opportunity to speak in this very important space today.
The CEDAW General Recommendation 39 on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls is a very welcome advancement in the respect for the rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous women and girls and the acknowledgement and articulation of how these are intrinsically linked to our identities and our experiences of historical discrimination and violence.
To be born as an indigenous female, (especially in the context of Asia), already predisposes one to a complexity of challenges and barriers in the realization of a life with dignity. One has to keep proving herself against existing norms and biases from the domestic to the public space. On top of this, are global experiences of cultural, structural, social, spiritual and environmental aggression emerging from such stereotypes. Nevertheless, we, Indigenous women, with our communities have been standing our grounds, constantly honing and transforming cultural heritage, knowledge, skills, institutions and networks in response to these multiple crises despite threats to lives and limbs.
Honorable representatives of member states, the adoption of the GR will be a historical milestone in the achievement of state commitments to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action where indigenous women rallied for the ‘recognition of the diversity of women and their roles and circumstances’, calling for states to “intensify efforts to ensure equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all women and girls, who face multiple barriers to their empowerment and advancement because of such factors as their race, age, language, ethnicity, culture, religion or disability, or because they are Indigenous Peoples” (BPFA, UN 1995). It’s a big leap after 27 years and it sure will be a gamechanger in the current commitments to ‘leaving no one behind’ in the context of sustainable development.
We urge everyone in this room today to make a difference on the lives of about 370 million indigenous peoples globally, more particularly, indigenous women and girls. Our common aspiration of making the world a better place, as envisioned by the SDGs, very much speaks to our indigenous spirituality and practice as stewards of the land for the future generations. Let us put our feet, in the shoes of indigenous parents, aunties, uncles or grandparents. Don’t we all want the best for our children and grandchildren?
As parties to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and the UNDRIP, we urge member states to adopt GR 39 in due time.
We commend the CEDAW committee and the OHCHR for listening to the voices of indigenous women and we look forward to its immediate finalization and adoption. The adoption and enforcement of GR 39 will make CEDAW more meaningful to indigenous women!
We are also looking forward, beyond the adoption and we commit to its full realization on the ground.
I am Eleanor Dictaan–Bang-oa, a Kankanaey-Igorot from Northern Philippines with the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network and the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education.
Thank you for your attention.