Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson,
Speaking on behalf of the Nordic
countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and my own country Sweden, I am pleased to
address the issue of the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples.
Almost 5 years has passed since the
General Assembly in 1994 proclaimed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous
People. Many activities related to the Decade have since taken place but much remains in
terms of goals to be fulfilled.
The theme of the Decade is
"Indigenous People: Partnership in Action". This theme reflects the very idea of
what we believe that the Decade is all about. The aim is to increase and strengthen, based
on the idea of true partnership, international co-operation between states and indigenous
peoples and between the indigenous peoples in order to find solutions to the problems
facing indigenous peoples world-wide. To achieve this aim good relationships between the
states and their indigenous peoples should be promoted and co-operation amongst the
indigenous peoples themselves have to be encouraged. These relationships must be based on
mutual respect and understanding for each other's cultural identity as well as respect for
human rights.
The Nordic countries remain committed to
act both at international as well as national level to mark and to fulfil the aim of the
Decade. We welcome the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Right, as the
co-ordinator for the Decade, on the activities of the United Nations system that have
taken place during the first half of the Decade. We strongly urge that the good track
record will continue and be enhanced during the 2nd half of the Decade.
Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson,
The two most significant objectives of
the Decade are the establishment of a permanent forum for Indigenous Peoples in the UN
system and the drafting of a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Nordic countries believe that the
establishment of a permanent forum is an important tool to co-ordinate and exchange
information between the indigenous peoples themselves as well as between indigenous
peoples and states on an equal footing. We also believe that it is necessary to establish
such a forum to strengthen co-operation and to avoid duplication in the UN system as it
relates to indigenous issues.
The Nordic countries therefore warmly
welcome the decision by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1999/52 to
re-establish the open-ended inter-sessional ad hoc working group which was established in
accordance with its resolution 1998/20. We hope that, for the next meeting of the
Commission, the working group will be able to complete its task by submitting one or
several concrete proposals on the establishment of a permanent forum. We therefore urges
all indigenous peoples and all states to actively participate in the exchange of ideas and
aspirations with the objective of elaborating concrete and realistic proposals, keeping
the partnership idea in mind, with respect to the mandate, placement and the function of
the forum.
Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson,
The working group which was established
to draft a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, finished this year's session
last week. During these sessions some progress in drafting a Declaration have been made.
In this process, many difficult issues remain and have to be addressed. To bring the
process forward, it is our hope that, in the forthcoming meetings of the working group,
both indigenous peoples and governments will work side by side in a spirit of mutual
flexibility and true partnership to be able to achieve agreements on substantive
provisions of the draft.
As the Nordic countries strongly believe
in the partnership idea, we also remain committed to co-operate and work actively with
both states and indigenous peoples in this regard. We hope that by doing this the work of
the working group will result in a Declaration which contributes in a positive way to
promote the rights of indigenous peoples all around the world.
Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson,
The Nordic countries strongly encourage
the mainstreaming of indigenous issues throughout the UN system. We would like to
re-emphasise our strong support for the agencies, programmes and different mechanisms and
bodies of the UN system, as well as other regional and international organisations working
with these issues and which have given an increased priority to activities that focus on
indigenous issues. We intend to continue working with these agencies, programmes,
mechanisms and bodies with the aim to alleviate problems facing the indigenous peoples of
the world today. We also urge agencies that have not yet taken any concrete steps in this
regard to make such commitments.
The Nordic countries will continue to
support the international work in furtherance of the Decades goal. This has been done
inter alia through contributions both to the Voluntary Fund for the Decade and to the
Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. We have the intention to continue doing so. We
also urge other States to join us in our efforts, as financial support is crucial in order
to promote the goals of the Decade.
Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson,
Creating and enabling environment for the
Sami and Inuit cultures and identities is a common goal for the Nordic countries. The Sami
and the Inuit peoples have made, and still make, valuable contributions to our societies.
The idea of partnership is crucial not only at an international level but even more so at
a national level. We believe it to be important to establish and promote a dialogue that
respects and preserves the Sami and Inuit cultures.
The indigenous peoples in the Nordic
countries have also established a well-functioning cross-border co-operation which
provides a foundation for the development of Sami and Inuit cultures and raises the public
awareness in our countries of their respective cultures. The indigenous peoples in our
countries have today better possibilities to participate and advocate their rights than
before. For instance, the Sami Parliaments of Finland, Norway and Sweden agreed in
February 1997 to institutionalise their co-operation within a new Sami Parliamentarian
Council. With regard to Denmark it should be noted that Greenland has enjoyed Home Rule
since 1979 with its own Government and Parliament; in addition two seats in the Danish
Parliament represent Greenland.
Mr./Ms.Chairman/Chairperson,
We strongly believe that the
international community as a whole could use the Decade as a point of departure in their
work in promoting the rights of indigenous peoples. The programme of activities of the
Decade should also be used as a basis to both enhance their enjoyment of human rights and
to improve the situation of indigenous peoples world-wide in general, and thereby making a
real and lasting contribution to all indigenous peoples world-wide.
Thank you Mr./Ms. Chairman/Chairperson
Permanent
Mission of Sweden to the United Nations