Interactive Hearing on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples,

June 17 and 18, 2014

(Kieb Ak´aba´l y Oxib K´at)

Moderator of the Interactive Dialogue and Advisor to the President of the General Assembly

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good day

The Global Indigenous Women Caucus, the Indigenous Women International Forum, the Youth Networks, Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA), the Indigenous Women of Mexico and Central America Alliance, affirm that the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Outcome Document should respect the priorities set in the Alta Document, the Lima Declaration and the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

1. The women of the world reinforce the International Instruments on Human Rights and Rights of Indigenous Peoples as adopted by the United Nations to make way for their implementation with the full and effective participation of women, youth and indigenous peoples.

2. We recommend that the rights, culture and spiritual values be included into the strategies related to development, including the objectives of sustainable development and the Post 2015 Development Agenda of the United Nations.

3. We recommend that States support Indigenous programs to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous young people, including those on the teaching of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices. As well as those on language teaching and the importance of the role of Indigenous Peoples, including the elderly and women as holders of traditional knowledge.

We also recommend that States and agencies, programs and funds of the United Nations respect and promote the right to free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples regarding our traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.

4. We urge States to reaffirm the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their economic, social and cultural development with due regard to their freedom, identity and the imperative recognition of the right to sustainable development. We further urge States to ensure full, equal and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in the development of mechanisms to ensure that sustainable development based on ecosystems is equitable, non-discriminatory, inclusive, accountable and transparent.

Furthermore, acknowledging that equality, consent and decolonization are important general issues that protect, recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and are in harmony with the sacredness of Mother Earth.

5. Indigenous Women highlight the need for higher quality education that involves the teaching of our ancestral and traditional knowledge alongside universal learning strategies. We recognize the importance of better education for girls and women in all walks of life. The social and economic effects will ensure a better life, especially concerning the health of indigenous women.

6. Indigenous peoples demand a paradigmatic rethinking of the goodlife, the fullness of life,palu-wala and comprehensive peace. We propose a re-evaluation and the making of a new, joint, sustainable and redistributive economic model, as opposed to companies that turn nature and its resources into business.

7. In order to ensure the sustainability of the programs the reciprocal exchange of resources is important, including resources of indigenous organizations such as materials resources, ancestral knowledge, spiritual knowledge, time and space. Also, any program aimed to achieve the MDG’s and the Post 2015 Agenda should include a territorial and collective approach, including the environment or Mother Earth and be based on the notion of the good life, have an intercultural approach, and be rights-focused. The participation of communities in the management of resources is a tangible example of sustainability.

8. We Women remind the States and the United Nations System the Cairo+20, Beijing+20, Rio+20 and the MDG’s since in many cases they did not have the expected positive impact in relation to the development of indigenous women.

Source: http://www.wcip2014.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/INTERVENCIONES-AUDIENCIA-17-Y-18-JUNIO-14_ENG.pdf