On World's Indigenous Peoples' Day Absence of indigenous rights in ADHR decried
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 09, 2012: The Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE), Forum for Indigenous Perspectives and Action (FIPA) and Indigenous Peoples Front (IPF) have strongly recommended that member states of the South East Asia Region consider appropriate inclusion of a reference to the UNDRIP in its preamble and fully commit to uphold the rights of the indigenous people in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

A joint statement issued on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous People, 2012, the three bodies�CORE, FIPA and IPF today said that the absence of indigenous and tribal peoples' rights in the draft of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration is an abject failure to fulfil commitments to international human rights standards and democracy.

The statement also expressed profound disappointment on the reported denial of meaningful participation and lack of reference to the collective rights of indigenous peoples as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in the drafting of ASEAN HRD during the national consultation held at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations in Kuala Lumpur on June 12 this year.

It further expressed astonishment at the pointless cloak of secrecy, the absence of accountability in the whole processes of the drafting and the indifference of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights towards the rights and issues of the many threatened indigenous peoples and communities of the region.

Expressing deep unhappiness over the attitude and unethical behaviour shown by AICHR towards representatives of indigenous peoples' organisations, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and Jarigan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) during the national consultation in Kuala Lumpur, the joint statement said that such denials were a gross violation of freedom of expression and violation of the rights to information and participation of indigenous people.

It added that such denial was a grave violation of the statutes of the ASEAN Charter and commitments of the nations of this region to the UN Charter and the UDHR.

'Knowing well that any regional human rights law, declaration or standard cannot fall below the minimum international standards established by the United Nations that accord the universally accepted respect, recognition and commitment for the rights of indigenous people, the conspicious absence of the indigenous peoples' rights as enshrined in the UNDRIP in the draft of the ASEAN HRD and the denial of indigenous peoples access to information and participation in matters that concerned their rights is a matter of violation of the very principles of human rights and objectives of the second international decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples,' it stated.

The very essence of democracy has been seriously undermined and the governments of the South East Asian region are in danger of shaming themselves in front of the entire world, the statement added while declaring solidarity to the cry for justice and inclusivity as given out by fellow indigenous peoples' organisations in Asia.

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