Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) participates in Alta Conference 2013

June 12, 2013, Alta, Norway – The Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) joined over 600 indigenous peoples worldwide that gathered here from June 10-12, 2013 for the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) 2014, also known as the Alta Conference. Hosted by the Sami Parliament of Norway, the Alta Conference aims to provide a platform for indigenous peoples (IPs) to collectively discuss and unite on the issues and recommendations to the WCIP 2014.

The Alta Conference will result in an outcome document which will serve as the official statement and position of indigenous peoples worldwide that will be forwarded to the High Level Plenary Meeting, known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014 in New York.

“Among the current discourses at the international level that indigenous peoples have to engage is on development processes, particularly on Aid and Development Effectiveness that is closely linked to sustainable development and on the Post-2015 development agenda. It is important for Indigenous Peoples to participate in development discourses and processes as we have very limited access to development while we are among the most affected peoples on the projects where funding is directed,” said Mr. Windel Bolinget, IPMSDL Spokesperson and Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA).

In between official sessions of the Alta Conference, caucuses and side events were organized to discuss specific themes relevant to Indigenous Peoples. IPMSDL has organized a side event entitled Indigenous Peoples’ Workshop on Aid and Development Effectiveness to take place in the afternoon of June 12, 2013 at the Brattholmen, Finnmark University College, Alta. This side event is part of the series of workshops successfully conducted this year on Aid and Development Effectiveness. The first one was held in Baguio City, Philippines in April, and another activity was held as a side event during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Twelfth Session in New York in May. With IPMSDL, these activities are organized by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN), Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) and the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE). The Saami Council is co-organizing the side event in Alta, Norway, while Land is Life co-organized the side event during the UNPFII in New York.

On the first day of the conference on June 10, IPMSDL Secretariat member Ms. Marifel Macalanda of the Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN) presented the experiences and perspectives of indigenous youth on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in a side event on Realization of the UNDRIP in Asia which was organized by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact.

On June 11, IPMSDL Spokesperson Mr. Bolinget, presented the experiences of IPs in the Philippines on business and human rights in during a side event entitled UN Guiding principles on business and human rights, Indigenous Peoples and business organized by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. The concerns raised in this side event were presented in the plenary session of the Alta Conference.

The IPMSDL is a global movement of grassroots-based indigenous peoples organizations, communities and advocates found in different parts of the world, that aims to fight for the recognition and respect of all our inherent rights as indigenous peoples to land, life, self-determination, liberation from State oppression and human rights violations, and social justice. CPA and APIYN currently compose the secretariat of IPMSDL.

IPMSDL members and other IP organizations who are participating in the Alta Conference will convene later today to discuss and unite on strategies in advancing urgent IP concerns on our self-determination as indigenous peoples such as the issue on development.#