Editors’ note; the following column is excerpted from the statement of Elisabeth Garrett (Cherokee), Indigenous Youth Representative, International Indian Treaty Council, at the High Level panel, United Nations Headquarters, May 12, 2003:
I want to first acknowledge the ancestors of this land, the Haudenosaunee, Pequots, Shinakocks, Narragansetts and the many other people of this land, and thank them for welcoming us here today.
Indigenous youth and children are members of families and indigenous nations, and are contributors to the wellness and perpetuation of our cultures and lifeways. They are an integral part of the indigenous peoples. Therefore the rights of indigenous youth and children are safeguarded when the rights of all indigenous peoples are recognized and upheld.
However, intergenerational trauma, and the inevitable inheritance of the state of the world and our Mother Earth are two ways in which indigenous youth are vulnerable and call for special attention. Here are two more reasons: lack of access to decision-making, and lack of representation in full and effective participation at all levels in matters relating to indigenous youth – essentially all matters. Indigenous youth and children disproportionately bear the burden of social and environmental sickness and destruction caused by war, poverty, unsustainable development and colonization. Indigenous youth also lack access to recourses to mobilize and participate, further limiting meaningful input into these processes which have direct impact on their lives and lands. And lastly, amongst many indigenous peoples, youth and children comprise a large percent of the community. These are some of the reasons why indigenous youth and children require special attention in policy making and within participatory processes.
In the spirit of the mandate of the Permanent Forum to provide recommendations to the Economic and Social Council of the UN on policy related issues, I want to take some of this precious time to provide a synthesis of the extensive recommendations that have already been generated by indigenous youth at international gatherings. The political will and urgency of our situations and responsibilities has provided an impetus for indigenous youth to work within the international human rights framework to seek redress for the violations of their human rights and the rights of their peoples. As evident in their interventions and youth statements, indigenous youth have paid attention and have heeded the progress of our predecessors and strong indigenous leaders in the human rights movement.
Issues of capacity building, indigenous youth participation and fundamental human rights were present in each of the youth statements and were addressed in their recommendations. These include:
*Support (both financial and technical assistance) from the UN system and its member states with regard to indigenous youth participation.
*Support for youth led initiatives, networks and organizations.
*Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
*Ratification of ILO Convention on Child Labor.
*Creation of a UN Environmental Program Indigenous Youth Advisory Council.
*Call for an international youth conference.
And, without exception, each youth statement called for the:
*Adoption of the Draft Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples in its current text without further delay.
I acknowledge the work that our distinguished panelists have shared with us relating to policy developments and information gathering within these specialized agencies. Indigenous peoples and youth as well are our honorable members of the Permanent Forum and are no doubt intent on learning about the progress made to date within various areas of the UN system relating to the first sessions’ recommendations.
NGOs, indigenous organizations and nations must prioritize the training of indigenous youth through active participation on delegations to international gatherings, and in doing so, commit in action to the often referred to language of youth as our future and the importance of youth in our societies. Funding agencies must also understand and prioritize this, which can only happen if we are asking for and prioritizing this ourselves.
The mentoring by our experienced elders, and peer mentoring by other experienced indigenous youth, is crucial to the transfer of knowledge and the sustainability of our movements. Our knowledge is too valuable to lose simply because we fail to make the time and prioritize the resources to make this happen. Please commit to doing this in real ways:
*Support the presence of our elders at indigenous peoples gatherings, ensuring accountability and wisdom in our deliberations.
*Develop and support indigenous designed programs in conflict resolution, internalized oppression and decolonization, breaking the harmful cycles of oppression that continue to plague our peoples and inhibit healthy progress.
*Call upon the remaining two UN member states, the United States and Somalia, to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child without further delay.
In closing, I would say that there is a lot of work to be done and that the future leaders of our peoples have set out very clear recommendations and have mobilized to ask for support in very concrete ways. At the risk of being repetitive I will summarize the extensive recommendations made by indigenous youth globally. For their promotion and protection, indigenous youth require capacity building and the coordination of indigenous youth efforts at building political will, sharing lessons learned and best practices. We ask for full and effective participation at all levels of planning, implementation and evaluation. And finally, as a prerequisite for survival and continued development, the recognition of indigenous peoples’ right as peoples to self determination, through the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in its current text without delay.
I give thanks for the advancements and efforts, sacrifice and scars, healing and life-giving spirit that comes to us from our ancestors, and from those who have come before us, the youth.
All my relations – Elisabeth Garrett
