UN to open forum on indigenous issues next Monday

The United Nations is to open a forum on indigenous issues Monday so that indigenous peoples can discuss measures to prevent conflict and secure peace, UN officials said here Friday.

More than 1,000 indigenous participants from all regions of the world are expected to attend the fifteenth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 9-20, they said.

The issues of peace and conflict, often relating to indigenous peoples' lands, territories and resources and to their rights and distinct identities will be high on the agenda of this year's session.

"Since its establishment, the Permanent Forum has expressed great concern over the continuation of conflicts affecting indigenous peoples in different parts of the world," said Alvaro Pop, the incoming chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

"We want to draw attention to the particular challenges faced by indigenous peoples in conflict, and the important contributions that indigenous peoples and their traditions and practices can make to conflict prevention and lasting peace," Pop said.

Two interactive panels on May 17 on the special theme, "Indigenous peoples: conflict, peace and resolution," will identify strategies and concrete measures to prevent conflict and secure peace, said a press lease issued here.

They will also highlight indigenous participation in peace processes, the contribution of indigenous women, the importance of access to justice and traditional institutions, and the role of indigenous peoples in preventing conflict and securing a just and durable peace.

The Permanent Forum will also deliberate on issues related to indigenous youth, health, education, languages, human rights, economic and social development, environment and culture, as well as the follow-up to the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and how it relates to indigenous peoples, is also expected to feature prominently in discussions on May 18, the press release said.

As in the past, there will be dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples -- the two other United Nations mechanisms, in addition to the Permanent Forum, specific to indigenous peoples.

The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII or PFII) is the UN's central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples.

"Indigenous person" means native, original, first people and aboriginal. There are more than 370 million indigenous people in some 70 countries and regions worldwide. The forum is an advisory body within the framework of the United Nations System that reports to the UN Economic and Social Council.

The first indigenous to be elected to office at a United Nations meeting was Chief Ted Moses of the Grand Council of the Crees in Canada in 1989. Endit