Joint Statement by Asociación Nabguana, AIRTRUST, Big Mountain - Black Mesa Sovereign Communities, Buffalo River Dene Nation, CAPAJ, Centro de Educación Campesina de Bases de Bolivia, Consejo de Todas las Tierras, International Indian Treaty Council, Fundació

International Indian Treaty Council

CONSEJO INTERNACIONAL DE TRATADOS INDIOS

	“WORKING FOR THE RIGHTS AND RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES"

Working Group pursuant to
CHR Resolution 1995/32, 3 March 1995
Eighth Session , 2-13 December 2003

Joint Statement by Asociación Nabguana, AIRTRUST, Big Mountain – Black Mesa Sovereign Communities, Buffalo River Dene Nation, CAPAJ, Centro de Educación Campesina de Bases de Bolivia, Consejo de Todas las Tierras, International Indian Treaty Council, Fundación para la Promoción y Conocimiento Indígena, Indigenous Women’s Network, Movimiento de la Juventud Kuna, TINHINAN and Yachai Wasi de Peru.

We continue to support the current text of the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as accepted and forwarded by the Sub-Commission to the Commission on Human Rights.

We have carefully examined all of the proposals by States presented at this session and find that they diminish or impair the human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized by the original text. We have stated our positions on each proposal openly on the floor at this session.

We acknowledge the fact that although some States are willing to accept it as it is, some States will not accept the current draft without changes or amendments. We feel the States in power hold back any significant progress in adopting a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that truly promises to ensure our ability to survive as Peoples.

We feel that it is necessary at this point to return to our people to inform them of what is occurring in this process and seek direction from them as to where we can go from here.

Our right to Self Determination is not up for negotiation. It must be made clear that Indigenous Peoples must be recognized as Peoples with the same fundamental rights as all other Peoples.

We want to thank very much those States such as Mexico and others who have stepped forward to give us support in standing up for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. To all hard-line States that are impeding the full recognition of our rights as Peoples, we recognize and understand your reluctance to do so. When all is said and done, it all comes back to one thing, our lands, territories and natural resources. When you put money above the rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Peoples of the world will hear about it.

We must come to a clear and transparent understanding that we as Indigenous Peoples are willing to work with the States and that we all only seek healing, justice and peace.

There is a solution and it has already begun – dialogue. That is a step in the right direction. But at this stage, we feel that a consensus will not be reached by 2004 and that is why we cannot compromise our future and the future of our children.