SUNRAY NGO/UN UPDATE

Sunray continues to support the indigenous world internationally through its presence at the United Nations and the NGO Community. Many wonderful events have unfolded this past year including The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007. Treaty rights, land rights and self-determination of Indigenous peoples are recognized internationally with this declaration. It has political and moral force and delineates states' obligations to uphold these rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world. Indigenous peoples will be able to use the Declaration to redefine their relationship with states, address their grassroots human rights issues and struggles and call upon states to put the rights it recognizes into practise. We have see the Declaration at work in several countries already. In Belize the Supreme Court quoted the Declaration to justify its decision upholding 2 Mayan villagers' rights to their traditional lands. This victory is expected to result in more protection and land rights for indigenous people of Belize. In Bolivia in November 2007 National Law 3760 or the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was passed (This legistration is an exact copy of the Declaration). Bolivia is the first country to adopt the Declaration as national law.
The Declaration has been translated into various languages besides the official UN languages. The other languages include Cha'palaa (spoken in Ecuador), Crimean Tatar (Indigen. of Crimea), Danish, Greenlandic, Italian, Japanese, Kitchua(spoken in Andes), Guarani (Paraguay), Maori, Miskito (Nicaragua & Honduras) and Portugues.

Sandra Sheridan
Sunray NGO/UN Representative