Statements & Urgent Appeals

9th August 2017 This year, the 13th of September 2017 will mark the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by the UN General Assembly. Further, the year 2017 is also an auspiciously year for Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) as it is its 25th Anniversary. Over the past 25 years, alongside many other indigenous communities in Asia, AIPP has come together to discuss, propagate, and assert our own agenda towards: our inherent right to self-determination and self-governance; our human rights and customary laws; the control of our lands, territories ...

25 July 2017 Chiang Mai, Thailand Two indigenous communities in Stung Treng province that for years have been defying the construction of the Lower Sesan II hydropower dam now face the immediate prospect of having their homes flooded as the gates are closed.  To make matters worse, they are now threatened with forced eviction from the remainder of their lands that is not expected to be flooded.  Their indigenous brothers and sisters have demanded that all threats to evict them be called off. On 15 July, the first of the dam’s ten gates was closed.  By now, six have been ...

10th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 10 – 14 July 2017 13 July 2017 (Day 4) Agenda Item no. 9: Future work of the Expert Mechanism, including focus on next annual study Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and Asia Caucus As recognised in the Expert Mechanism’s draft report on the Ten years of the implementation of the UNDRIP, the rise in the number of indigenous human rights defenders who die every year while attempting to defend their rights under the Declaration has indeed been alarming. Indigenous peoples in Asia and across the globe are ...

10th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 10 – 14 July 2017 Agenda Item 6: Ten years of the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: good practices and lessons learned Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and Asia Caucus Thank you, Ms. Chairperson. It’s been a decade since the adoption of the UNDRIP in 2007. In the global arena, the awareness and discussion regarding indigenous peoples’ rights and issues have increased. International and regional human rights mechanisms and other bodies have made significant progress in applying the UNDRIP as reflected ...

10th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 10 – 14 July 2017 Agenda Item no. 4: Study and advice on good practices and challenges in business and in access to financial services by indigenous peoples Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) We thank the Expert Mechanism for sharing their draft on the study and emphasising on day one that it is still open for inputs.  We would then like to turn the attention of the Expert Mechanism to the salient points raised in AIPP’s submission that were missed in the draft study as well as ...

10th Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 10 – 14 July 2017 Agenda Item 7: Indigenous peoples’ participation in the United Nations system Statement of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and Asia Caucus Ms. Chairperson, In follow up to the Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, we welcome the constructive and open informal dialogue between States and indigenous peoples on the possible measures necessary to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant UN bodies on issues affecting them during the 70th and 71st session of the General Assembly. We also highly appreciate the ...

Public Statement New York, 10 July 2017 – Fifteen indigenous peoples’ representatives from various Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Malaysia are participating in the HLPF this year taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York from 10 to 19 July 2017 under the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. They are among the 2000-plus participants from various sectors, including governments, private sector and civil society. “We recognize the potentials of the SDGs in addressing the issues of sustainability and inclusion of those who are at the furthest end of the social spectrum and also ...

Undertake a judicial investigation into Romel Chakma’s death and deliver justice immediately 10 May 2017 Forty indigenous peoples and human rights organizations, in a letter sent to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed today, called for immediate judicial investigation into the death of Romel Chakma, who died after allegedly being tortured by Bangladesh Army officers. Further, the organizations have urged for effective justice for the death, including compensation for Romel’s family and stringent penalty for those responsible. 19-year old Romel Chakma, from Naniarchar Upazila in Rangamati was a young rights activist working for the recognition of the ethnic identity and rights ...

  Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus Intervention to the 16th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues   24 April 2017 Agenda Item 8: Tenth Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Measures taken to implement the Declaration. Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus Thank you, Ms. Chairperson. I am Mai Thin Yu Mon of Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO). On behalf of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus, I stand to address on agenda item 8: Tenth Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous ...

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT STATEMENT  ON EARTH DAY – 22 APRIL 2017 Secure Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights to Combat Climate Change Chiang Mai, Thailand-We, indigenous peoples, are the custodians of the world’s remaining forests as well as oceans and seas. Our lands comprise 80% of the planet’s biodiversity[i]. Our historical stewardship of natural resources, practice of low carbon life style and above all, relentless actions to defend our homes have been contributing to the conservation, enhancement and sustainability of world’s biodiversity and ecosystems. Despite this, many states in Asia do not recognize our identities as indigenous peoples and have been ...