Observer Delegation
of the Government of the
United States of America
STATEMENT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS
POPULATIONS
Geneva, 26 July, 1994
As many of you know, the Clinton Administration is
deeply committed to the promotion and protection of human
rights, both at home and abroad. Unfortunately, indigenous
people have too often been subject to serious abuse and
often lack the means to ensure that their governments
recognize their human rights, including their right to
dignity and full equality.
The members of the Working Group on Indigenous
Populations should be congratulated for the substantial time
and effort that they have put into preparing a document that
is worthy of the proud heritage of indigenous people
throughout the world. The chairperson of the group, Mrs.
Erica-Irene Daes, deserves special praise for her
organizational role and her substantive contributions to the
promotion of the human rights and cultural heritage of
indigenous people.
My government strongly supports the basic goals of the
draft declaration. We are determined to build a relationship
with indigenous people in the United States based on
recognition and respect for their cultural identity, and
acting in partnership and consultation with tribal
governments.
We are determined to work with other governments to
ensure a strong and useful declaration that recognizes the
rights of indigenous people, and that promotes dialogue,
negotiation and cooperation between governments and
indigenous people.
At the same time, certain provisions of the draft
declaration appear to be potentially problematic. We
believe these issues should be discussed and can be
resolved. None of them appears insurmountable. None of
them should hinder the adoption of a strong declaration on
the rights of indigenous people.
The United States can offer a working model of how
these rights can be recognized and implemented. Since the
1970's, the U.S. Government has supported the concept of
self-determination for Indian tribes and Alaska Natives
within the United States. In our domestic context "self-
determination" means recognizing tribal self-governance and
autonomy over a broad range of issues. This is a positive
development, which reinforces the status of indigenous
people within an existing state. The uniqueness and
importance of our policy of self-governance was highlighted
by President Clinton when he spoke to tribal leaders at the
White House on April 29. In his words:
"In every relationship between our people, our first
principle must be to respect your right to remain who you
are and to live the way you wish to live. And I believe the
best way to do that is to acknowledge the unique government-
to-government relationship we have enjoyed over time. Today
I reaffirm our commitment to self-determination for tribal
governments. I pledge to fulfill the trust obligations of
the Federal Government.
I vow to honor and respect tribal sovereignty based
upon our unique historical relationship. And I pledge to
continue my efforts to protect your right to fully exercise
your faith as you wish."
These are powerful words and we wan to explore how this
concept of self-determination might be translated into
international terms. This means moving the draft
declaration farther along towards eventual adoption by the
UN General Assembly. Accordingly, we urge that the Sub-
Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
Minorities review the draft and refer it to the 1995 session
of the Commission on Human Rights. In this manner, perhaps
it may prove possible to adopt the declaration during the
early years of the International Decade of the World's
Indigenous People.
We are committed to working with other governments,
members of the Working Group, indigenous representatives,
non-governmental organizations, and other interested
parties, to achieve a solid document that advances the cause
of indigenous people's rights everywhere. The sooner that
we can begin the better. While our history has not always
been a proud one, our future can be.
Thank you, Madame Chairperson.
(Delivered on behalf of the United States government by
Miriam Sapiro, U.S. State Department, Legal Affairs.)
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