CONSEJO INTERNACIONAL DE TRATADOS INDIOS

Dear friends,

Indigenous Peoples’ Participation

12^th Meeting of UN Commission on Sustainable Development

Enclosed, you will find two papers: a Guide for Major Groups prepared by the UNCSD and short briefing paper on UNCSD12 prepared by NGOs. The same information applies for indigenous peoples, as one of the major groups for the implementation of Agenda 21.

This note is to invite your inputs for a background paper on Review of Implementation: Indigenous Peoples, Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements which will be submitted to the UN by 15 February.  Each of the 9 major groups is asked to submit a 16-page discussion paper that will serve as an official working paper for the 2-week session. These discussion papers are to give the perspective of each of the Major Groups on the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) in relation to Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements. They will also be used by the Chair of the CSD in the writing of his chairman’s report.

The report will be drafted and finalized by Tebtebba Foundation and the Indigenous Environmental Network at organizing partners of the UNCSD for this activity. We are adopting the following outline for the report:

I. Introduction (page 1)

II. Indigenous peoples’ perspectives on the status of implementation of Agenda 21 and the JPOI in relation to Water and Sanitation

II.1. Indigenous Peoples’ activities (Case-studies, examples from the field) (pages 2-3)

II.2. Obstacles and barriers identified in relation to the successful implementation of indigenous initiatives and projects (pages 4-5)

II.3. General analysis of the role of other major groups and government in implementation (pages 6-8)

III Indigenous peoples’ perspectives on the status of implementation of Agenda 21 and the JPOI in relation to Human Settlements

III.1. Indigenous activities (Case-studies, examples from the field) (pages 9-10)

III.2. Obstacles and barriers identified in relation to the successful implementation of implementation of indigenous initiatives and projects (pages 11-12)

III.3. General analysis of the role of other major groups and government in implementation (pp 13-15)

IV. Main Conclusions (a short bulleted list of main findings) Page 16.

We invite indigenous organisations to contribute examples and case-studies show-casing their work in achieving the implementation of Agenda 21 and the JPOI for sections II.1 and III.1. You are also invited to provide your perspectives, including real-life examples on sections II.2 and III.2. Finally, you are invited to contribute information, including real-life examples, on sections II.3 and III.3.

The facilitators will collect all contributions and integrate them into the paper. Due to constraints in size and time, it may happen that not all the received information is used. This paper is to serve as a basis for discussion in the two working groups and the high-level segment. The case-studies and examples are therefore intended as an illustration of identified problems, progress, or lack there -of in implementation. The deadline for submission of inputs is 25 January, 2005.

Complete case -studies can be submitted directly to the secretariat as a background paper (as per the

“Guidelines for Major Groups”). The paper will as much as possible approach the 3 issues currently on the agenda in a cross-cutting way, meaning through the lenses of Sustainable Production and Consumption, Poverty Eradication, Globalisation, Gender, etc (see the list in paragraph 1.1 on page 1 of the “Guidelines for Major Groups”).

Please send your contributions and inputs to:

Joji Carino Email:  tongtong@gn.apc.org and Ellen Bengoa Email: tebtebba@skyinet.net

Tebtebba Foundation

Tom Goldtooth Email: ien@igc.org

Indigenous Environmental Network