This section contains information about the emerging UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and U.S. involvement in its formation.
Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Date:
08/26/1994
Organization:
United Nations
Document Type:
Declaration
Link: HTML
The United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations has been working on a “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” since 1985. In 1994 a draft of the Declaration was adopted by the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and submitted to the Commission on Human Rights. The draft was then submitted to the Commission on Human Rights which established an open-ended inter-sessional working group to continue its consideration. The draft is still under consideration by this working group. Upon adoption, the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will be submitted to the UN General Assembly for adoption. The open-ended inter-sessional working group has already passed its 2004 deadline to adopt a draft of the Declaration.
United Nations Commission for Human Rights: Working Group on the Draft Declaration
Date:
Organization:
UN Commission for Human Rights
Document Type:
Website
Link: HTML
This official website of the Working Group has reports of the sessions, provisional agendas, working papers, background documents and General Assembly resolutions.
60th U.N. Commission on Human Rights Remarks by U.S. Delegate Luis Zuniga, Item 15: Indigenous Issues
Date:
04/08/2004
Organization:
U.S. Government Delegation to the 60th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights
Document Type:
Statement
Link: HTML
This statement, made by U.S. delegate Luis Zuniga on behalf of the U.S. Government Delegation to the 60 th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, gives the official stance of the U.S. government on the Draft Declaration on Indigenous Rights. Zuniga says that the U.S. will no longer support the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples because they feel that its purpose has been replaced by the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Working Group on the Draft Declaration. He also states that the U.S. supports the notion of “internal self-determination” but that they will not support the Declaration if it re-orders internal relationships within a democratic state. The U.S. delegate also states that the Declaration is not a human rights instrument that should be cited by human rights lawyers or courts, but instead is an aspirational blueprint for countries to follow for their internal relations.
57th U.N. Commission on Human Rights Remarks by U.S. Delegate Steve Wagenseil, EOP: L.63 Rights of the Indigenous
Date:
04/24/2001
Organization:
U.S. Government Delegation to the 60 th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights
Document Type:
Statement
Link: HTML
This statement, made by U.S. delegate Steve Wagenseil on behalf of the U.S. Government Delegation to the 57 th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, says that the United States is in consensus concerning 1) the appointment of a Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights Promotion of Indigenous Peoples; 2) the establishment of a Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues; and 3) the Working Group on the Draft Declaration working to secure a universal declaration on the rights of indigenous people. Regarding the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, the United States remarks that it has fulfilled its mandate and should focus its next session on how to hand down its work to the Permanent Forum.
U.S. Department of State: U.N. Declaration Page
Date:
Organization:
U.S. Interagency Delegation to the UN’s Working Group on a Draft Declaration
Document Type:
Website
Link: HTML
This is the official webpage of the U.S. inter-agency delegation to the U.N.’s Working Group on a Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It has information for consultative meetings with tribal representatives and the negotiating sessions of the WGDD.
Indigenous Rights Online Library
www.indigenousrightswatch.org