Strengthening the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Asia
“Land rights, Environment and Climate change in the Asian region”
Friday 30 October 2020, 10:00-11:30 (ICT Bangkok time)
“The promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples and their traditional practices, are key to sustainable conservation, biodiversity and climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. For States to put into action their development pledge of leaving no one behind, the obligations towards indigenous peoples must be at the forefront and must be reflected in effective policy measures and in the effective allocation of resources”
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Regional consultation on the rights of indigenous peoples in Asia September 2020
Background
Asia is the continent with most of the world’s indigenous peoples. More than two thirds of the world’s indigenous peoples live in the region. While estimates vary – among other reasons, due to the inconsistent national terminology used to describe indigenous peoples and the challenges indigenous peoples face in terms of self-identification – approximately 400 million indigenous peoples live in Asia. Indigenous peoples in Asia include those referred to in national legislation and policies as tribal peoples, hill tribes, ethnic minorities, natives, customary communities, scheduled tribes and Adivasis. All Asian States voted in favour of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in 2007 (except one State which abstained).
With the aim of engaging with indigenous peoples in Asia, the former Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, conducted a regional consultation jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangkok ( UN OHCHR Bangkok),with the support of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education.
The consultation was held in Bangkok from 13 to 15 November 2019 and attended by more than 100 representatives of indigenous peoples including academics, lawyers and representatives of civil society organizations, independent national human rights institutions and UN Agencies from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Taiwan. In parallel, the Special Rapporteur issued a public call for contributions to a report on the situation of the human rights of indigenous peoples in Asia, in follow up to the regional reports prepared by her predecessors in 2007 and 2013.
Registration
Please confirm your interest and availability to participate in this webinar, by complete Microsoft Form (via the QR code or clicking here) by Wednesday 28 October 2020. The link to the online meeting with confirmed participants.
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