Statement by Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI)
Speaker: Puyr Tembé
Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI), a global indigenous-led initiative to confront violence and criminalization of indigenous peoples and the resulting impunity, along with ANMIGA our country partner in Brazil would like to present a proposal for consideration by members of the Permanent Forum as part of their future work.
The issue of violence and criminalization affecting indigenous peoples worldwide is a cross-cutting issue that is relevant for all the mandated areas of work of the Permanent Forum. Indigenous peoples are suffering violence and criminalization when they exercise their economic, cultural, and social rights, when they protect the environment, lands, and territories, including due to the creation of protected areas and in the context of climate change and green transition, and in general when exercising their internationally recognized individual and collective human rights.
In spite of the commitment expressed by Member States in the Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, to ‘intensifying our efforts, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against indigenous peoples and individuals (…) by strengthening legal, policy and institutional frameworks. This commitment has not been translated to national policy reforms for the protection of indigenous peoples against criminalization when they exercise their individual and collective rights.
Therefore, IPRI would like to recommend for the Permanent Forum to undertake the following:
- Develop a study to provide information and analysis of the widespread and increasing criminalization of the exercise of indigenous peoples’ rights to ensure that this is better understood, accounted for, and acted on by the UN System. This study shall be presented in the 23rd session of the Permanent Forum in 2024
- To include a session on the criminalization of indigenous peoples as one of the sub-themes for the 23rd session of the UNPFII wherein the study can be presented under a dedicated session for this critical issue
- To include a session on the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights defenders against attacks and reprisals.
We hope the Permanent Forum considers this request favorably in light of the urgency of the situation.
Thank you very much for your attention.
