The Indigenous Forum, meeting in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, from August 8
to 13, 1994, in the framework of the topic "War and Peace",
recognizing the existence of violent conflicts (economic, social,
cultural, environmental and religious) which affect Indigenous
nations such as those in Canada, Guatemala and Ecuador, resolve:
1. To support the demands of the First Nations and Nationalities
of the Americas and the world to obtain peace in a framework of
justice;
2. To support the process of self-determination by Indigenous
Peoples;
3. To support the recognition of the right of each People to its
own territory;
4. To support their demands for the right to a dignified life,
guaranteeing the satisfaction of basic material and spiritual
needs.
In the concrete case of the Mi'Kmaq people, it is resolved:
1. That the Prime Minister of Canada order an end to the
ethnocide and genocide which is occurring through environmental
degradation in the territories of the First Nations such as Boat
Harbour and Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia;
2. That the Government of Canada respect the request of the
traditional government of the Mi'Kmaq nation and declare Kluscap
(Kelly's) Mountain as a protected area, and that it stop once and
for all plunder and sacrilege reflected in any exploitation of the
mountain.
In the case of Guatemala, it is resolved:
1. To commit ourselves to distributing the Mayan proposal called
"Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples" presented by the
Assembly of Civilian Sectors of Guatemala.
2. To support the demands and proposals of the Mayan People in
the current peace negotiations based on a political project of a
multicultural and multilingual State.
In the case of Ecuador, it is resolved:
1. To support the demands of First Nations to administrate their
natural resources;
2. To support the demands of the Ecuadoran Indigenous Peoples and
other social sectors involved in the Commission of Notable
Citizens which in elaborating reforms to the State Constitution.
Arvidsjaur, Sweden August 9, 1994