URGENT: Indigenous Mothers Against Mercury Petition, please sign on an distribute widely / URGENTE: Madrás Indígenas Contra el Mercurio, carta abierta, firmen y distribuyan ampliamente | ![]() Please support this important new initiative to pressure policy makers and protect our children and unborn generations! Sign on to this NEW on-line petition (the first one IITC has ever tried!), "Indigenous Mothers Against Mercury Open Letter". Please also distribute widely, thanks!
A fact sheet on mercury and Indigenous Peoples, focusing on the "legacy" gold mining contamination in California but also highlighting other sources of contamination such as current gold mining and coal-fired powered plants (also a major contributor to climate change) and the health, subsistence, cultural and human rights impacts in enclosed. Our goal is 3000 signatures world-wide before the 3rd UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) Session for the development of a legally binding global Treaty on Mercury in October 2011. Click here to sign on-line petition Download Factsheet: Mercury - The Toxic Legacy of the California Gold Rush Por favor, ¡apoye a esta nueva e importante iniciativa para que quienes formulen las políticas adquieran un compromiso y protejan a nuestros hijos y generaciones futuras! Sírvase firmar esta nueva petición en línea (ésta es la primera vez que CITI ha intentado usar esta tecnología) titulada "Madres Indígenas contra el Mercurio: una Carta Abierta". Agradeciéndoles de antemano por distribuirla ampliamente. Se adjunta una hoja informativa sobre los Pueblos Indígenas y el mercurio, la que pone énfasis en el "legado" de la contaminación por la minería de oro en California, a la vez que da a conocer otras fuentes de contaminación, tales como la minería de oro en la actualidad y los centros eléctricos alimentados por el carbón (el que además contribuye de manera substancial al cambio climático), así como los impactos en la salud, la subsistencia cultural y los derechos humanos. Nuestra meta es conseguir 3000 firmas de las distintas partes del mundo antes del 3o. período de sesiones del Comité Intergubernamental de Negociación para la elaboración de un Tratado mundial vinculante sobre el mercurio en octubre de 2011. Haga clic aquí para firmar la petición en línea Descargar ficha: El legado tóxico de la fiebre del oro en California | |
UN CERD to review Human Rights records of US and Canada in 2012 | | ![]() The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), is the Treaty Monitoring body for the Convention and is made up of 18 international experts. The CERD is responsible for assessing the State parties' compliance with the provisions of the Convention and making recommendations on how States need to change or improve the policies and practices. All State parties are subject to regular "Periodic Reviews" and must submit a report to CERD regarding their compliance. State parties have the obligation to take seek and include input from "civil society", including Indigenous Peoples, in the preparation of their reports to CERD. If this is not done, or their input is not adequately reflected, Indigenous Peoples, organizations and human rights activists can also submit their own "Shadow reports" challenging a State's self-assessment or providing additional or missing information. These reports are also carefully reviewed by CERD and considered in their recommendations.
Canada is scheduled for its next periodic review by CERD in early 2012. The United States will be reviewed by CERD later in 2012 or in early 2013. This will be an important opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to make their own submissions, or "shadow reports", providing updates on current conditions, threats and violations. These submissions can also include information about the status of implementation by the US and Canada of CERD's previous recommendations. Click here for more information on the CERD review of Canada and the United States. |
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Update from the 10th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues | | ![]()
The tenth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) took place over two weeks in New York city from May 16-27th. This year's gathering focused on the implementation of UNPFII recommendations on economic and social development, environment, and free, prior, and informed consent. The IITC credentialed 9 individuals who attended this year's session from Indigenous Nations and organizations from North America, Artic, Latin America, and the Pacific Region. Over the course of two weeks, the IITC presented and submitted a number of interventions including those listed below. The IITC also submitted a conference room paper (CRP) to the UNPFII from the Indigenous Women's Environmental and Reproductive Health Symposium held in June 2010. The purpose of the 2010 gathering was to provide an opportunity for Indigenous women to come together and share information about the negative impacts of environmental factors including mining and drilling, mercury contamination, nuclear and uranium testing and the impacts on of these environmental factors on the right to Indigenous Peoples health and reproductive justice. The report recommended that the UNPFII and other UN bodies focus attention and collect information from Indigenous Peoples on the links between environmental contamination and reproductive health and justice, for the purpose of recommending effective solutions and remedies at the international level. This important work was recognized in the final report of the UNPFII. Click here to download the report: Report of the International Indigenous Women's Environmental and Reproductive Health Symposium, June 30 – July 1, 2010. [E/C.19/2011/CRP. 3, 22 February 2011, Language: English] | Haga clic aquí para descargar el informe: Informe del simposio internacional de mujeres indigenas sobrew la salud repoductiva y ambiental, 30 de junio al 1o. de julio de 2010. [E/C.19/2011/CRP. 9, 3 de mayo de 2011 [en español] Statements presented or endorsed by IITC during the UPFII Tenth Session: Agenda item: 4. Human rights: (b) Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur; and Dialogue with the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, North America Regional Statement Presented by Mark Anquoe, Kiowa Nation, International Indian Treaty Council "The North America Indigenous Peoples caucus recognizes that while the EMRIP has accepted the report of the Second Seminar on the Treaty Study, other avenues to implement the recommendations of the Treaty Study should also be pursued including the International Court of Justice." "Treaty Peoples must give their free, prior and informed consent to any change in the treaty relationship… The North America Indigenous Peoples caucus therefore recommends that future work include a comprehensive discussion of Indigenous Peoples' understanding and interpretation of treaties between our peoples and settler societies." Agenda item: 4. Human rights: (b) Dialogue with the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Joint statement by the International Indian Treaty Council, Assembly of First Nations, Ermineskin Cree Nation, and the Project Access participants, presented by Andrea Carmen, IITC …"In this regard, we affirm the important role of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and its mandate to advise the UN Human Rights Council regarding implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Of particular importance is the EMRIP's current study on Indigenous Peoples' Right to Participate in Decision making, including consideration of relevant provisions in the UN Declaration. These include Articles 5 and 18, as well as all of its provisions affirming self-determination, Treaty rights and free prior and informed consent." Agenda item 6: Half day discussion of the Right to Water for Indigenous Peoples, Joint Intervention by the International Indian Treaty Council, Ermineskin Cree Nation, International Organization of Indigenous Resource Development, Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, Unidad de la Fuerza Indigena y Campesina, Indigenous World Association, American Indian Law Alliance and the Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Presented by Andrea Carmen, IITC ...We therefore recommend that the Permanent Forum implement a process to assess, evaluate and, as needed, propose measures, mechanisms and indicators for States to monitor such compliance by corporations impacting the human right of Indigenous Peoples to clean water. These could incorporate appropriate indicators developed by the UNPFII for the well-being of Indigenous Peoples as well as the Cultural Indicators for Food Sovereignty specifically addressing access to clean water and other resources, free prior and informed consent and the Treaty Right to Water. Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus Statement, Agenda Item 8: Special Rapporteur's study on the status of implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of 1997, Presented by Andrea Carmen, International Indian Treaty Council "...according to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord, all of the approximately 500 temporary military camps in the CHT, with the exception of border guard camps and 6 cantonments, were to be withdrawn in phases. We are very concerned to learn that only 71 camps have been withdrawn in the 14 years since the accord was concluded and that the military has expropriated 1000s of additional acres of land to expand or construct military camps and facilities throughout the CHTs. In addition, on the basis of the 2001 executive order for "Operation Uttaran," the military has continued aggressive "anti‐insurgency" operations and intervened in virtually all aspects of civil administration. Military operations in indigenous villages have led to violence against innocent villagers. In addition, rape, sexual violence, and other forms of assault continue against Indigenous women in violation of a number of human rights instruments, including CEDAW, ICERD and article 22 of the UN Declaration. Indigenous Peoples have called attention to the oppressive culture of impunity throughout the CHTs." Click here for other statements presented or endorsed by IITC.
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Report from the 5th Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS) | | ![]() Closing statement from the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at the Stockholm Convention 5th Conference of the Parties, April 29th, 2011, Geneva, presented by Monique Sonoquie, IITC delegate (Chumash/Apache/Yaqui), California
"…For Indigenous Peoples the impacts of the production, export and use of dangerous toxics violates and threaten human rights protected under International Laws, norms and Conventions, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Reproductive health and justice, which includes our right to bear and raise healthy children, also continue to be undermined for Indigenous Peoples living at the source of application as well as in Arctic communities, far from the original point of exposure." Click here to read full statement. |
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Support Our Work Apoye Nuestro Trabajo | | IITC does not receive any state or federal funding for our work. Instead we are supported by the foundation grants and the generous support of private donors, friends and allies. Please consider contributing to support the work of IITC. Whether it be planned giving or a one time donation, any amount helps. IITC is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations and all donations are tax-deductible. For more information on supporting our organization, please contact Andrea Carmen, Executive Director at andrea@treatycouncil.org or 907-745-4482. CITI no recibe recurso alguno de los Gobiernos estatales o federales. Dependemos exclusivamente de fundaciones y del apoyo generoso de donantes individuales, amigos y aliados para sustentar nuestro trabajo. Por favor, considere la posibilidad de contribuir económicamente al trabajo de CITI, ya sea mediante un apoyo permanente, o haciendo una donación única. Toda donación, por pequeña que sea, nos ayuda. CITI es una organización sin fines de lucro de acuerdo con el artículo 501, fracción c, inciso 3 del Código Estadounidense. Toda sus donaciones son deducibles de los impuestos en los EE.UU. Para más información acerca de cómo pueden apoyarnos, por favor comuníquese con nuestra Directora Ejecutiva, Andrea Carmen, al andrea@treatycouncil.o ó 907-745-448 |
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