January 1 marked the beginning of the Second International Decade of the WorldÂ’s Indigenous People.
The Second Decade, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, raises indigenous peoplesÂ’ hopes that goals left unmet by the last decade will be realized and that progress will continue in furthering their rights.
According to the resolution adopted by the General Assembly, the decade will focus on further strengthening international cooperation in order to address problems indigenous peoples face in areas of culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed José Antonio Ocampo, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as the Second DecadeÂ’s coordinator. A voluntary fund was also established as a successor to the existing U.N. Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. The International Day of Indigenous People will continue to be observed on August 9 during the Second Decade.
While the first Decade contributed greatly to the inclusion of indigenous peoples in the U.N. system, indigenous peoples lobbied hard for the declaration of a Second Decade.
"There are many key issues that still have to be addressed [during the Second Decade], including self-determination, ownership of resources, and recognition of territory," said Adelard Blackman, special emissary for Chief Elmer Campbell and the people of Buffalo River Dene Nation.
The resolution announcing the Second Decade "urges all parties involved in the process of negotiation to do their utmost to ... present for adoption as soon as possible a final draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples." Adoption of the declaration would be a major accomplishment in advancing the recognition of indigenous peoplesÂ’ rights at the international level.
In many cases, benefits of the first Decade did not reach local communities. Only 36 percent of the respondents to a survey released August 17 by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner indicated that they saw positive changes at the community level as a result of the Decade. Forty-four percent said they saw no local improvements.
A common hope for the Second Decade is that it will encourage states do their part to promote indigenous peoplesÂ’ rights. As Pen John, of the Nele Tribe of Mare, New Caledonia, told Cultural Survival Quarterly last summer, "It is time to focus more on the duties of states."
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, executive director of the Tebtebba Foundation in the Philippines told Cultural Survival Quarterly, "It is only because indigenous peoples pushed that there has been any action at the state level, and in most countries, the response has been ceremonial, not actual."
