CPA Co-Organizes UNDRIP Training for Luzon IP Leaders
July 27, 2010
BAGUIO CITY — A three – day training on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) was conducted here from July 23-25, 2010, participated by 40 indigenous leaders from the Cordillera, Palawan, Mindoro, Quezon, Rizal, Pampanga and Nueva Vizcaya.
This is the last leg of a three-part sub national training in the country organized by the Indigenous Learning Institute for Community Empowerment, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP) and Katutubong Samahan ng Pilipinas (KASAPI).
In particular, the activity was a trainors’ training. It aimed to further broaden indigenous communities’ options and opportunities at asserting their collective rights by tapping international instruments such as the UNDRIP, with Philippine government as a signatory to this Declaration which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007.
The training covered areas of the UNDRIP: self determination and self governance; on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Customary Law; on Land, Territory and Resources, Human rights and militarization, Development Issues and on Practical advocacy skills.
Ground realities reported in the feedback sessions reflected the problems of FPIC violations, inability of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to proactively safeguard indigenous peoples rights, militarization in indigenous communities and the prevailing problem of large and destructive mining (existing operations, expansion and new applications) also on ancestral land. While there is an Indigenous Peoples Rights Act in the country, participants agreed, based on concrete experience, that indeed it is one of the most violated laws.#