Fri, Aug 9, 2013 - UN
International Day of the World's Indigenous
Peoples Marked Today
Indigenous delegates in the UN General Assembly
Hall at the opening of the twelfth session
of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Nairobi, 09 August 2013
- To mark the United Nations International
Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has drawn
attention to the vital role played by indigenous
communities - who represent 5 per cent of
the global population - in achieving inclusive
sustainable development.
"From traditional
and low-impact ways of conserving food to
sustainable management of wildlife areas,
indigenous peoples play a vital role in
the mosaic of cultures and communities at
the cutting edge of sustainability and the
world-wide efforts towards an inclusive
Green Economy," said UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
"UNEP is seeking
to further amplify the voice of indigenous
communities in environmental governance
and to bring forward to world attention
the centuries-old knowledge, cost-effective
technologies and experience of working with
rather than against nature that offers a
treasure trove of inspiring principles and
practical actions for the rest of humanity,"
added Mr. Steiner.
Under the theme Indigenous
Peoples building alliances: honouring treaties,
agreements and other constructive arrangements,
the 2013 International Day of the World's
Indigenous Peoples will highlight the need
to integrate the role of indigenous peoples
in policy-making, and to highlight the achievements
of such communities in supporting sustainable
development.
Environmental degradation
and rapid socio-economic changes are posing
major challenges to the traditional way
of life of many indigenous peoples. In Ecuador's
Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, for example, the
livelihoods and environment of the Tagaeri
and Taromenane communities are being threatened
by the impacts of extractive industries
in the region.
Overall, indigenous
communities form a disproportionate amount
of the world's poor.
Last year, UNEP released
A Partnership in caring for the Environment
- a guide for policymakers on how to promote
and sustain continued dialogue with Indigenous
Peoples, and to ensure their participation
in development and environmental projects.
Since 2000, UNEP has
organized a yearly Global Major Groups and
Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) in conjunction
with its Governing Council / Global Ministerial
Environment Forum. The event provides a
platform for indigenous communities, youth,
faith groups, and other civil society organizations
to participate in environmental decision-making.
As part of this year's
World Environment Day, which was held under
the theme Think.Eat.Save - Reduce Your Foodprint,
UNEP highlighted traditional techniques
used by indigenous communities across the
world to reduce food waste.
From 'borts' eaten by
Mongolia's traditional herdsmen - which
involves drying and shrinking beef into
a fist-sized portion for slicing into soups
- to the milk powder created by Kenya's
Turkana community by drying fermented milk
on hot rocks, these centuries-old practices
show unique ways of reducing the 1.3 billion
tonnes of food currently lost or wasted
around the world each year.
