With apologies for delay in circulation, please find below recent AIPP publication titled "Development Aggression as Economic Growth: A Report by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact" launched during the Rio+20 in Brazil.
Development aggression through state, public-private partnerships and corporate projects – large dams, mines, logging, plantations, national parks... and the like – are displacing millions of indigenous peoples from their lands and territories... their traditional sources of subsistence, distinct cultures and ways of life. Indigenous peoples in their resource-rich lands are considered dispensable collateral damage in the name of national development or economic growth. Their individual and collective rights are systematically violated, resulting to their increasing marginalization, exclusion and invisibility. When they resist, they are considered anti-development and even criminals.
As the world leaders meet in Rio in Brazil to discuss sustainable development, back home, indigenous peoples in Asia continued to be displaced, their communities militarized, their homelands submerged, deforested and grabbed, their practices of and expertise on sustainable development trivialized and vilified and their societies on the verge of extinction – all in the name of development.
Will Rio+20 deliver any difference?
Click here to download the full report.
BELOW IS THE PRESS RELEASE MADE FOR THE REGIONAL LAUNCH OF THE REPORT IN BANGKOK WITH MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP.
Is sustainable development going to be a reality for indigenous peoples in Asia?
28 June 2012
After the much acclaimed Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable development that was held in June 20-22 in Brazil, will this make a difference to the millions of indigenous peoples in Asia who are at the bottom rung of the development ladder?
Indigenous Peoples are recognized as one of the nine Major Groups of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as Rio+20. Two thirds of the world’s approximate 370 million indigenous peoples are in Asia; they belong to the poorest of the poor, to the most marginalized and systematically discriminated.
While the Rio+20 Declaration re-affirms and acknowledges the importance of human rights in sustainable development including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), on the one hand, the main framework of sustainable development remains the same—that of neoliberal model of massive resource extraction, profit driven production and unfair trade for economic growth on the other hand. This development approach has merely aggravated the disparity between the rich and the poor, the forced eviction of indigenous peoples and the destruction and expropriation of their lands, territories and resources, corruption and widespread environmental disasters. “The needed paradigm shift to achieve sustainable development did not happen in Rio+20, and there remains serious concerns that the human rights commitment of states will remain as lip service. Unless states, international financial institutions and corporations take clear and decisive actions to guarantee respect for human rights, safeguard the integrity of the environment and ensure equity and accountability in development policies and programmes, Rio+20 will end up as another talk-shop.
The continuing reality in indigenous territories is development aggression through state, public-private partnerships and corporate projects – large dams, mines, logging, plantations, national parks... and the like that are displacing millions of indigenous peoples from their lands and territories... their traditional sources of subsistence, distinct cultures and ways of life,” says Joan Carling, AIPP’s Secretary General
Large-scale blood dams have caused massive displacements, loss of livelihoods and food insecurity of indigenous peoples in India, Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines. Inspite of this, hundreds of large dams are being planned in major rivers in Asia in the name of green technology. Economic land concessions for logging, rubber and palm oil plantations and commercial agriculture in Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia are being pursued in the face of community resistance. Government conservation programs in Thailand have resulted in forced evictions of indigenous peoples and even criminalization of their traditional lifestyles and practices.
“Indigenous peoples in their resource-rich lands are considered dispensable collateral damage in the name of national development or economic growth,” says Bernice See, Human Rights Programme Coordinator of AIPP. “Their individual and collective rights are systematically violated, resulting to their increasing marginalization, exclusion and invisibility. When they resist, they are considered anti-development and even criminals.
As stewards of their territories, Asia’s indigenous peoples have been contributing to sustainable development through their own sustainable resource management systems. Traditional occupations are still the chief sources of livelihood and food security of most indigenous peoples in Asia. Traditional knowledge—especially of indigenous women—has been critical in the food security of indigenous peoples, enhancement of biodiversity, practice of herbal medicine, and innovation of indigenous technologies. However, these remain invisible in the discussions of viable approaches to sustainable development.
For inquiries,
Prabindra Shakya, Communications Coordinator, AIPP, +668 2215 8840, prabin@aippnet.org
Bernice See, Human Rights Program Coordinator, AIPP, +668 5145 7869, bernice@aippnet.org
Joan Carling, Secretary General, AIPP, +668 5694 0100, joan@aippnet.org
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE REPORT
Rights Group: Indigenous Peoples Exploited in Rush for Resources
Ron Corben (Voice of America)
June 28, 2012
BANGKOK -- Human rights organization Minority Rights Group International says unprecedented demand for natural resources globally, but especially across Asia, is leading to ethnic conflict and displacement of indigenous communities.
In a separate report, the non-government group, Asia Indigenous People’s Pact (IPP) called for Asia’s governments to adhere to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People to ensure communities are fully consulted before development projects go ahead.
…
A spokesperson for IPP said the region’s governments had a “moral obligation” to respect United Nations agreements. Both groups say indigenous communities back natural resource development, but need the protection of and respect for human rights.
Click here to read more
Rio Dialogues Part III: Impact on Rio+20 and the Way Forward
Posted: 06/28/2012 12:10 pm (The Huffington Post)
Last week, the Rio Dialogues culminated in a three-day panel discussion that engaged Rio+20 conference participants in a grand civil participatory process. The top thirty recommendations were chosen from parallel processes that included the online dialogues top ten picks from a million votes world-wide, the top ten picks from 111 panelists during the panel dialogues in Rio, and the top ten picks from the audience that attended the dialogue panels. All thirty recommendations reflecting diverse sectors of civil society were presented to Heads of State that attended the Rio+20 conference, which started the day after the last dialogue panel ended.
Click here to read more
Development aggression through state, public-private partnerships and corporate projects – large dams, mines, logging, plantations, national parks... and the like – are displacing millions of indigenous peoples from their lands and territories... their traditional sources of subsistence, distinct cultures and ways of life. Indigenous peoples in their resource-rich lands are considered dispensable collateral damage in the name of national development or economic growth. Their individual and collective rights are systematically violated, resulting to their increasing marginalization, exclusion and invisibility. When they resist, they are considered anti-development and even criminals.
As the world leaders meet in Rio in Brazil to discuss sustainable development, back home, indigenous peoples in Asia continued to be displaced, their communities militarized, their homelands submerged, deforested and grabbed, their practices of and expertise on sustainable development trivialized and vilified and their societies on the verge of extinction – all in the name of development.
Will Rio+20 deliver any difference?
Click here to download the full report.
BELOW IS THE PRESS RELEASE MADE FOR THE REGIONAL LAUNCH OF THE REPORT IN BANGKOK WITH MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP.
Is sustainable development going to be a reality for indigenous peoples in Asia?
28 June 2012
After the much acclaimed Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable development that was held in June 20-22 in Brazil, will this make a difference to the millions of indigenous peoples in Asia who are at the bottom rung of the development ladder?
Indigenous Peoples are recognized as one of the nine Major Groups of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as Rio+20. Two thirds of the world’s approximate 370 million indigenous peoples are in Asia; they belong to the poorest of the poor, to the most marginalized and systematically discriminated.
While the Rio+20 Declaration re-affirms and acknowledges the importance of human rights in sustainable development including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), on the one hand, the main framework of sustainable development remains the same—that of neoliberal model of massive resource extraction, profit driven production and unfair trade for economic growth on the other hand. This development approach has merely aggravated the disparity between the rich and the poor, the forced eviction of indigenous peoples and the destruction and expropriation of their lands, territories and resources, corruption and widespread environmental disasters. “The needed paradigm shift to achieve sustainable development did not happen in Rio+20, and there remains serious concerns that the human rights commitment of states will remain as lip service. Unless states, international financial institutions and corporations take clear and decisive actions to guarantee respect for human rights, safeguard the integrity of the environment and ensure equity and accountability in development policies and programmes, Rio+20 will end up as another talk-shop.
The continuing reality in indigenous territories is development aggression through state, public-private partnerships and corporate projects – large dams, mines, logging, plantations, national parks... and the like that are displacing millions of indigenous peoples from their lands and territories... their traditional sources of subsistence, distinct cultures and ways of life,” says Joan Carling, AIPP’s Secretary General
Large-scale blood dams have caused massive displacements, loss of livelihoods and food insecurity of indigenous peoples in India, Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines. Inspite of this, hundreds of large dams are being planned in major rivers in Asia in the name of green technology. Economic land concessions for logging, rubber and palm oil plantations and commercial agriculture in Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia are being pursued in the face of community resistance. Government conservation programs in Thailand have resulted in forced evictions of indigenous peoples and even criminalization of their traditional lifestyles and practices.
“Indigenous peoples in their resource-rich lands are considered dispensable collateral damage in the name of national development or economic growth,” says Bernice See, Human Rights Programme Coordinator of AIPP. “Their individual and collective rights are systematically violated, resulting to their increasing marginalization, exclusion and invisibility. When they resist, they are considered anti-development and even criminals.
As stewards of their territories, Asia’s indigenous peoples have been contributing to sustainable development through their own sustainable resource management systems. Traditional occupations are still the chief sources of livelihood and food security of most indigenous peoples in Asia. Traditional knowledge—especially of indigenous women—has been critical in the food security of indigenous peoples, enhancement of biodiversity, practice of herbal medicine, and innovation of indigenous technologies. However, these remain invisible in the discussions of viable approaches to sustainable development.
For inquiries,
Prabindra Shakya, Communications Coordinator, AIPP, +668 2215 8840, prabin@aippnet.org
Bernice See, Human Rights Program Coordinator, AIPP, +668 5145 7869, bernice@aippnet.org
Joan Carling, Secretary General, AIPP, +668 5694 0100, joan@aippnet.org
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE REPORT
Rights Group: Indigenous Peoples Exploited in Rush for Resources
Ron Corben (Voice of America)
June 28, 2012
BANGKOK -- Human rights organization Minority Rights Group International says unprecedented demand for natural resources globally, but especially across Asia, is leading to ethnic conflict and displacement of indigenous communities.
In a separate report, the non-government group, Asia Indigenous People’s Pact (IPP) called for Asia’s governments to adhere to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People to ensure communities are fully consulted before development projects go ahead.
…
A spokesperson for IPP said the region’s governments had a “moral obligation” to respect United Nations agreements. Both groups say indigenous communities back natural resource development, but need the protection of and respect for human rights.
Click here to read more
Rio Dialogues Part III: Impact on Rio+20 and the Way Forward
Posted: 06/28/2012 12:10 pm (The Huffington Post)
Last week, the Rio Dialogues culminated in a three-day panel discussion that engaged Rio+20 conference participants in a grand civil participatory process. The top thirty recommendations were chosen from parallel processes that included the online dialogues top ten picks from a million votes world-wide, the top ten picks from 111 panelists during the panel dialogues in Rio, and the top ten picks from the audience that attended the dialogue panels. All thirty recommendations reflecting diverse sectors of civil society were presented to Heads of State that attended the Rio+20 conference, which started the day after the last dialogue panel ended.
Click here to read more
No comments:
Post a Comment