Indigenous Working Group for Inclusion at the UN
The Working Group will work together to advocate for the recommendations of the ICO Indigenous Joint statement. The Joint Statement will be constantly added to via the contributions of new Working Group members, as well as updates from existing members.
Indigenous Peoples may join in their capacity as a collective or individual representative – there is no burden or expectation to represent the perspectives of an entire Peoples. Further, we welcome the membership of individuals/ organisations who may not identify as Indigenous, but are working in the spirit of allyship towards the protection of Indigenous rights.
The Working Group will hold bi-annual committee meetings to strategise an implementation plan for recommendations of the mandate and create a calendar advocacy plan, including permanent mission meetings and key UN events and reports. ICO will also hold 1-1 meetings with Working Group members in order to create more detailed and personalised individual plans.
Current mandate of the Working Group
The Working Group will advocate for the following recommendations from the ICO Joint Statement:
- A permanent seat for Indigenous representation at the Human Rights Council.
- Implementation of Legal measures at the national level in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, supported with United Nations oversight and evaluation.
- Provision of travel grants; the facilitation of digital inclusion; and ensuring participation at the UN is open beyond NGOs with ECOSOC status.
- Language inclusivity, via ontology translation spaces for translation of concepts that do not exist in official UN languages.
- Respect for Free, Informed and Prior Consent – where Indigenous Peoples are proposers of policy, not merely consulted bodies.
- Right to access just and fair procedures for conflict resolution, land grabbing, forced disappearances, violation of the right to memorialisation, without bureaucratic delay.
The mandate of the Working Group will grow as membership expands, to include new and relevant recommendations from the Joint Statement.
How can I join the Working Group?
If you wish to join the ICO Working Group on Indigenous Inclusion at the United Nations, please complete the form linked here:
Read the full Indigenous Joint Statement Here
