Jodi Rave, Lee Enterprises | Posted: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 11:00 pm
|
NEW YORK - The U.N.
General Assembly is prepared to vote Thursday on a declaration that
would support the human rights of indigenous people - a document
more than two decades in the making.
But key nations,
including the United States, are poised to put up a
fight.
If passed, the
declaration supports the right of indigenous people to protect
their land, resources, languages, economic development, education,
rights to self-determination, hunting, fishing and sacred
sites.
"It addresses the
historic discrimination practiced by states. It's never been done
before," William David, a staff attorney for the Indian Law
Resource Center, said.
"It's one of the
few times states have sat down with indigenous people to draft this
and address rights currently not protected."
On Wednesday,
people from throughout the world bustled about the halls of the
United Nations, providing a backdrop for the upcoming vote on the
declaration, which has been deliberated and debated for more than
20 years.
The U.N. Human
Rights Council adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples in June 2006.
It was expected to
go before the general assembly of 192 countries in May but was
delayed when African nations asked for more time for
deliberation.
The African
countries are now proposing 34 amendments that would weaken key
parts of the declaration, according to groups that support the
document.
And the declaration
faces opposition from countries with significant indigenous
representation, including the U.S.
"The U.S. has
always favored a strong and clear Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples that is universal in its scope and capable of
implementation," Edgar Vasquez, a State Department spokesman, said
Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, the
declaration that will be considered this week by the U.N. General
Assembly is neither clear nor is it capable of being
implemented."
The U.S. already
promotes the rights of indigenous people worldwide, Vasquez said,
through annual Human Rights Reports and by funding development
projects involving indigenous communities.
It also provides
opportunities for foreign indigenous leaders to come to the U.S. to
meet federal government officials and tribal leaders to learn about
indigenous rights.
"We recognize the
grave challenges faced by indigenous peoples throughout the globe,"
Vasquez said.
But he said the
declaration "fails to provide a roadmap for harmonious and
constructive relations and risks endless
interpretations."
If the general
assembly adopts the declaration, it will provide a venue for
indigenous people with complaints of discrimination by U.N. member
states, David said.
The U.N. Human
Rights Council would field reports about violation of the
declaration.
"In the meantime,
the Human Rights Council and other human-rights bodies will likely
consider the declaration as persuasive in their deliberations in
country reports, investigations and petitions," he
said.
"And in time, it
may become a specific kind of international law known as customary
international law."
Jodi Rave covers
Native issues for Lee Enterprises. Reach her at 1-800-366-7186 or
jodi.rave@lee.net
