10-11 November 1993
Beurs van Berlage
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
More information : NCIV ph +31 (0)20 6759084
fax 31 (0)20 6649876
The Congress will be held in the context of the United Nations
Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The Congress is part
of the Dutch information project 'Voices of the Earth',
coordinated by the Dutch Centre for Indigenous Peoples, with
support from the Dutch Government and the National Committee
for Development Education and in cooperation with the Non-
Governmental Organizations: Novib, ICCO, Cebemo, HIVOS, SNV
Dutch development organization, Both Ends, KIT and UNPO. The
aim of the project is to raise awareness from the Dutch public
for the position of Indigenous Peoples.
The Dutch Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV), formerly known
as the Working Group Indigenous Peoples (WIP), supports the
struggle of indigenous peoples for more than twenty years now.
Objectives of the Congress
The key objective of the Congress is to strengthen the
position of the world's indigenous peoples, in dialogue with
representatives of different indigenous peoples who are
experiencing various forms of self-government. The Congress
will focus on determining ways in which individuals,
governments and organizations in The Netherlands and the
European Community can support indigenous peoples and their
right to self-determination.
Objectives:
1. To inform individuals and organizations interested or
involved with indigenous peoples about the position and
visions of indigenous peoples, especially regarding the
right to self-determination;
2. To discuss with representatives of indigenous peoples how
self-determination, - including political rights,
economic rights, land rights, right to self- development
and cultural, scientific and intellectual property - can
improve the situation of indigenous peoples. And, how the
international community - esp. the Dutch Government, the
EC, NGOs, and companies - can contribute to the self-de-
termination of indigenous peoples ;
3. To provide recommendations for improvement of policies of
international organizations, NGOs, governments, inter-
governmental institutions, and companies, where the
rights of indigenous peoples are concerned. These
evaluations and recommendations should serve to streng-
then the position of indigenous peoples at all levels;
4. To develop a framework identifying codes of conduct for
individuals, institutions, NGOs, companies and
governments, involved in relations with indigenous
peoples.
Participants
About fifteen representatives of different indigenous peoples,
who are experiencing various forms of self-government are
invited as speakers at the Congress. They will be the centre
of the deliberations during the Congress. Representatives of
international institutions, such as the United Nations, UNDP,
Worldbank/IMF, ILO and international respected specialists are
expected at the congress, as well.
Other participants will be interested individuals and
representatives of: companies, NGOs in the field of
development cooperation and environment, solidarity groups,
and institutions of science. Members of both the Dutch and the
European parliament and representatives of the Dutch
government and the EC will be invited. Embassies of the
countries where the invited indigenous peoples come from will
be informed about the congress and asked to participate in it.
The Congress expects about 300 participants.
Tentative programme
Parts of the Congress will be plenary and parts in workshops.
The main items of the Congress will be discussed in the
plenary sessions, more specific themes and cases will be
discussed in the workshops. Visions of indigenous peoples on
self-determination and their practical experiences with self-
determination, will be the main points of consideration at the
Congress. The following issues will be compared with these
visions and experiences:
* The draft Universal Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, which is developed by the United
Nations;
* The policy of the Dutch government, the EC, international
organizations, NGOs, companies, etc, concerning
indigenous peoples;
* The framework identifying codes of conduct as mentioned
under 'Objectives of the Congress'.
Programme
Congress 'Voices of the Earth; Indigenous Peoples, new
partners, the right to self-determination in practice'
First day, 10 November 1993
10.00 Opening ceremony
10.10 Plenary speeches
* Michael Dodson, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,
Social Justice Commissioner (Australia). He will speak about
indigenous visions on self-determination, the role of the
international community, and on the significance of the
Universal Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples;
* Jos Bengoa, director of the Special Committee on Indigenous
Peoples, Chili. He will speak about the activities of the UN
in the field of the right to self-determination of indigenous
peoples and on the significance of the Universal Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
11.30 Break
11.50 Workshops
In this session representatives of the indigenous peoples will
present their cases and some of the workshops will include a
short video-presentation.
Workshop 1 : ONIC (Colombia), introduction: Alfonso Capera;
Workshop 2 : Inuit (Greenland), introduction: Tove Sovndahl
Petersen;
Workshop 3 : Maasai (Tanzania), introduction: Saruni Ole
Ngulay;
Workshop 4 : Pech (Honduras), introduction: Lopez Catalan.
12.50 Lunchbreak
13.50 Workshops
a. Political Rights Introductions: Howard R. Berman
(California Western School of Law) and Ascario Morales (Kuna,
Panama)
Chairperson: Tiemo Oostenbrink (secretary of the Advisory
Committee of Human Rights and Foreign Policy)
b. Economic Rights; Introductions: Julian Burger (secretary of
the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations) and Finn Lynge
(Inuit, Greenland)
Chairperson: Marcus Colchester (director of the Rainforest
Movement)
c. Cultural, scientific and intellectual property;
Introductions: Darrell Posey (Foundation for Ethnobiology,
Oxford) and Lilikali Kame'eleihiwa (Hawai'i, Director of the
Center for Hawaiian Studies)
Chairperson: Lolle Nauta (University of Groningen)
d. Right to self-development;
Introductions: Maartje van Putten (member of the European
Parliament) and Minnie Degawan (Secretary General of the
Cordillera Peoples Alliance Philippines)
Chairperson: Berthy Korvinus (member of the Advisory Committee
on Human Rights and Foreign Policy)
15.45 Break
16.00 Workshops continue
18.00 Closing
Second Day, 11 November 1993
10.00 Plenary session.
Short report on the main conclusions and recommendations of
the first day workshops
10.20 Changing of meeting rooms
10.30 Workshops
In this session representatives of the indigenous peoples will
present their cases and some of the workshops will include a
short video-presentation.
Workshop 1: Yakuts (Russia), introduction: Svetlana Sokolova;
Workshop 2: Bushmen (Namibia), introductions: /Angn!ao
/'Un and Koce /Ui;
Workshop 3: COIAB (Brazil), introductions: Andr da Cruz and
Euclides Pereira;
Workshop 4: Hawai'i (USA), introduction: Lilikali
Kame'eleihiwa
11.30 Break
11.50 Continue workshops on specific cases
Workshop 1: Quichua (Ecuador), introductions: Luis Maldonado
and Michel Angel Carlosama (not yet confirmed);
Workshop 2: Kuna (Panama), introduction: Ascario Morales;
Workshop 3: Aborigines (Australia), introduction: Michael
Dodson;
Workshop 4: Cordilleras peoples (Philippines), introduction:
Minnie Degawan
12.50 Lunchbreak
14.30 Final plenary session
A panel discussion. The panel discusses the main conclusions
of the workshops, especially on the policy recommendations.
Members of the panel include: J. van Houwelingen (chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Dutch Parliament),
Cees Flinterman (chairman of the Advisory Committee on Human
Rights and Foreign Policy), Monigue Munting (European
Commission, not yet confirmed), Julian Burger (secretary of
the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations), and
representatives of the indigenous peoples. Viktor Kaisiepo
(West-Papuan Peoples Front) will chair the discussion.
16.30 Reception offered by the Municipality of Amsterdam
17.30 Closing the invited indigenous peoples come from will
be informed about the congress and asked to participate in it.