tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22363584143645343802024-02-07T00:17:36.837-05:00Tribal Link News OnlineA communications network linking indigenous peoples to information, media, resources and relevent networks, with a special focus on the United Nations system.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-9489188830945512572009-01-22T18:51:00.002-05:002009-01-22T19:26:40.090-05:00The American Museum of Natural History Presents LIVING IN AMERICA Changing Climate, Changing Environment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9nnm1zDJPd-4FxEtvL7-mMQRUCuIRKkNHi93XtrVnebUa5ElU8Argw-wWmkgECDYlK7L2nU-pTBKEzzgWMk3Av6dLf6pe6JfD6JMfOKWDyzMS5QcNHkajpshMS0WQ-8zTv_p_114j17T/s1600-h/image002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9nnm1zDJPd-4FxEtvL7-mMQRUCuIRKkNHi93XtrVnebUa5ElU8Argw-wWmkgECDYlK7L2nU-pTBKEzzgWMk3Av6dLf6pe6JfD6JMfOKWDyzMS5QcNHkajpshMS0WQ-8zTv_p_114j17T/s320/image002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294274521553638994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">
</span><h2 style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 1.5pt;">NATIONAL FOCUS: INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES</span></b></span></h2> <p style="margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 22.5pt;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">These programs will present a national view, highlighting environmental and climate change issues affecting indigenous communities across the United States, including Alaska and Hawai'i.</span></p><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >This is a series taking place every weekend in January. This Saturday there will be a performance by </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Polynesian Dance Productions</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >, a film & discussion regarding Hawaii & the climate crisis, and other cultural events relevant to the response of indigenous communities in our environmentally turbulent time.
All programs will take place at the AMNH. For more information, please call</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></b></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >the Museum’s Department of Education at 212-769-5315 weekdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm weekdays</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >. We hope you can make it to these special & significant events!</span>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></b>Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-91506428333671066742008-09-22T21:45:00.004-04:002008-09-26T20:08:44.645-04:00Available at BetterListen! and iTunes....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9IRD6EVD1lODRlLPvyORUowqrb63204acY8g8wWzr1xuNslhyWjlMDs4lFEHVn0hf141-A1fU-OnIj9UZ3AlLjvW3afNDV8g2kSpeRHhhFJaBlv3s1Nv8e8CxWUQeXe_Wj4G_guoetY/s1600-h/indigenouscoversmall_6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249036126870178258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9IRD6EVD1lODRlLPvyORUowqrb63204acY8g8wWzr1xuNslhyWjlMDs4lFEHVn0hf141-A1fU-OnIj9UZ3AlLjvW3afNDV8g2kSpeRHhhFJaBlv3s1Nv8e8CxWUQeXe_Wj4G_guoetY/s200/indigenouscoversmall_6.jpg" border="0" /></a>
Dear Friends
<div>We are very excited to tell you all about Steve Stein's new company Better Listen!. Steve and I worked together on documenting the Kari Oka conference that took place in Brazil prior to the Earth Summit where 700 tribal leaders gathered in 1992. It was an extraordinary adventure and it was at that time that Steve produced and recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Message to the World </span>on audio cassette. The message was so timeless and important that it has been re-released in digital format for the first time and is now available on BetterListen.com and iTunes. The album entitled <span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Indigenous Peoples' Message to the World : Words and Music: An Audio Journey To The First World Conference of Indigenous Peoples Kari Oka Brazi </span>is an award winning collaboration of numerous individuals and indigenous peoples from around the globe. To read more about this project and its collaborators please visit http://betterlisten.com/indigenous.html. --Pamela</div>Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-74655352046023029932008-06-11T18:52:00.007-04:002008-12-09T00:47:58.115-05:00Indigenous Entrepreneurship Side Event at COP-9, Bonn, Germany<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV7aQu4PfQ1m5nyiGB1SSX_hyphenhyphenNDUqG28Tg88zUVkrvcZ76bmYW_74kgngrvZC4lXARuJzolJi8mjLZb0zDmkt6dt4vc4Uwg8J9sF-x8SIoCkBum4mveinz1_gRmLmKkoys9XxQmlpBBc/s1600-h/logo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210764439061356962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV7aQu4PfQ1m5nyiGB1SSX_hyphenhyphenNDUqG28Tg88zUVkrvcZ76bmYW_74kgngrvZC4lXARuJzolJi8mjLZb0zDmkt6dt4vc4Uwg8J9sF-x8SIoCkBum4mveinz1_gRmLmKkoys9XxQmlpBBc/s200/logo.jpg" border="0" /></a>
<div>We have recently returned from the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany where Tribal Link organized an event highlighting sustainable indigenous businesses and their partners. We were honored that this side event was one of the events chosen to be webcast on the COP 9 website. To view the webcast please visit http://unfccc.meta-fusion.com/kongresse/CBD2008_2/templ/ply_cbd.php?id_kongresssession=1164&player_mode=isdn_real
Opening remarks for the event were made by Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the CBD. The event was moderated by John Scott, Programme Officer of Traditional Knowledge, Innovation and Practices for the CBD.
Presentations were made by:
(Via Video) Dr. Richard Walley of the Nyoongar People (Australia) and Stephane Piquart of Mount Romance; Parabat Gurung of the Gurung People (Napal) and John Brebner of S&D Aroma. A presentation was also made by Tashka Yawanawa of the Yawanawa People (Brazil) along with David Hircock from AVEDA regarding their 15 year business partnership.
To learn more about the COP 9 and the convention, please go to the following link: <a href="http://www.cbd.int/cop9/">http://www.cbd.int/cop9/</a> </div><div></div>Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-87066527028000344002008-03-18T19:34:00.001-04:002008-12-09T00:47:58.291-05:00Opening Call for Nominations for Equator Prize 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAZ9U5UyXSnqvTQCk32N6i5P3EkPd7h0v1sXkCnfQWpYrp7q1_qqe6vRI66z2ZLF2_ghj2j1R5c9MZUZ2w4fCd4B-U3BIdKeOU0zrBEn4R6wUuaL2q15X3jBxPsykpPTRk9TcyNgqmSs/s1600-h/EI_logo.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAZ9U5UyXSnqvTQCk32N6i5P3EkPd7h0v1sXkCnfQWpYrp7q1_qqe6vRI66z2ZLF2_ghj2j1R5c9MZUZ2w4fCd4B-U3BIdKeOU0zrBEn4R6wUuaL2q15X3jBxPsykpPTRk9TcyNgqmSs/s200/EI_logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179229008821621042" /></a>
It is our great pleasure to announce the opening of the call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2008: Celebrating Community Success in Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction.
This marks the fourth round of the internationally renowned Equator Prize. Awarded biennially, the Equator Prize recognizes community-based initiatives that demonstrate extraordinary achievement in reducing poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt. Prize winners receive worldwide recognition for their work as well as an opportunity to help shape national and global policy and practice in the field.
Twenty-five community organizations will be honored with the Equator Prize 2008 and US$5,000 each. Five of these communities will receive special recognition and an additional US $15,000. Special recognition will be given in the following categories: one for each region of eligibility (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean), one to the initiative that best exemplifies community approaches to adapt to climate change, and one to the initiative that best exemplifies the conservation of agricultural biodiversity. The Equator Prize will be presented in October 2008, in Barcelona, Spain, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. All winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work in the “Poble” Dialogue Space at the Congress.
The Equator Prize 2008 nomination process will be open through May 31, 2008. Details on the criteria for the Prize, information on the award process, and the online nomination system can be accessed through the Equator Initiative website at www.equatorinitiative.org.
We encourage you to nominate qualified community initiatives that are active in environmental conservation and sustainable development within the equatorial region. Self-nominations are welcome.
Please disseminate this announcement widely to your electronic newsletters and networks! With your help and nominations, we can continue to honor and celebrate exceptional communities around the world, support their invaluable work and grow a stronger network of community best practice in biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-78712726679660088442008-03-08T16:13:00.004-05:002008-12-09T00:47:58.592-05:00International Women's Day, 8 March 2008: Investing in Women and Girls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnkVAt7fXDRcIB74PDSPH0UxUQ8ZzunGYGoUxfncgu0CvI62loz_6e_DusCx-87XPWZIA2Hk_udtd8gSUOzIbQv5lWbkwSSI8gXsrOU8j5kYC8rCK66J-k7qT7RydF-qDfL8efnp60l0/s1600-h/International-Women-Day.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnkVAt7fXDRcIB74PDSPH0UxUQ8ZzunGYGoUxfncgu0CvI62loz_6e_DusCx-87XPWZIA2Hk_udtd8gSUOzIbQv5lWbkwSSI8gXsrOU8j5kYC8rCK66J-k7qT7RydF-qDfL8efnp60l0/s200/International-Women-Day.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175483853174083874" /></a>
As the United Nations observed International Women’s Day at Headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that investing in women was not only the right thing to do, it was the smart thing to do. Gender equality was both a goal in itself and a prerequisite for reaching the millennium targets, he said, adding that empowered women brought new perspectives to decision-making and increased the chances of education and employment for the next generation. “And when women have access to finances, credit, technologies and markets, they are likely to expand their businesses and contribute effectively to sustained economic growth and development,” he said.Governments were increasingly creating an enabling environment for investing in women, the Secretary-General said, noting that more than 50 countries had introduced gender-sensitive budgeting and many were abolishing laws that prohibited women’s access to land, property ownership, credits and markets. The United Nations was doing its part by setting policies and strategies for gender equality and development financing, while generating commitments from Member States, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.“And yet, we still have a long way to go,” he said, stressing that women were still severely hampered by discrimination, lack of resources and economic opportunities, limited access to decision-making and gender-based violence. All stakeholders must calculate the economic costs of persistent gender inequality, and the resources required to remedy it, he said, calling for a major scaling up of investments in women and girls, the creation of mechanisms to regularly track investments in gender equality, as well as good governance, gender-sensitive budgets and creation of transparent, stable and predictable investment climates to promote women’s employment and productivity, among other things.
“For my part, I will work to strengthen the UN Secretariat’s own gender machinery. In my revised estimates for the 2008-2009 programme budget, on improving delivery of mandates for development activities, I propose to almost double the staffing of the Office of my Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women.” Further, he announced plans to significantly increase the resources of the Division for the Advancement of Women, and he called on Member States to successfully conclude consultations to consolidate resources currently scattered among several structures into one dynamic and strengthened gender entity. Following the Secretary-General’s remarks, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketti, Minister for Public Service and Administration of South Africa, said it was important to remain cognizant of the enormous frustration women felt at the lack of commitment and accountability to development goals and gender equality commitments. While women played an integral role in community development, resources of development projects had been redistributed mainly to men through patriarchal land-reform processes.
Imports from Western and Asian markets had weakened African women’s economic independence, and gender-specific conditions were still limited in the technical and financial support provided as part of official development assistance (ODA) in southern Africa, she said. Investment in women could change the current trajectory of the combined threats of underdevelopment, poverty, violence, environmental degradation, ill health, and conflicts over natural resources. But, to achieve that, international partners must harmonize and align programmes and simplify funding requirements, as well as support legislation and policy frameworks to protect vulnerable women. Gains made should not be rolled back.
Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., agreed, saying there could be no sustainable development if half the world’s talent pool was stymied or underrepresented. The connection between women and economic growth was extraordinarily powerful. His company’s “10,000 Women” programme helped thousands of underserved women worldwide achieve their full potential by offering business management education.
To learn more about this special day, please visit http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2008/index.shtmlTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-4269775341705977852008-02-19T10:38:00.003-05:002008-12-09T00:47:58.774-05:00Finally, Australia Says 'Sorry' to Aborigines for Mistreatment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9-dhzTrhKPb3P3fluSx1APZV_tkfv8r_BgNwjgJmqh6XwYAODQMO0KxvogsOdffhOKQ3iedUYTCA3BudpvM512zXide-ru48p672TqWEBO_nhlJLBAdiWFfSJk77QVQ8n2m1RvbaBSo/s1600-h/aborigines.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9-dhzTrhKPb3P3fluSx1APZV_tkfv8r_BgNwjgJmqh6XwYAODQMO0KxvogsOdffhOKQ3iedUYTCA3BudpvM512zXide-ru48p672TqWEBO_nhlJLBAdiWFfSJk77QVQ8n2m1RvbaBSo/s320/aborigines.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168717622280218322" /></a>
By Tim Johnston of the New York Times:
SYDNEY, Australia — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd opened a new chapter in Australia’s tortured relations with its indigenous peoples on Wednesday with a comprehensive and moving apology for past wrongs and a call for bipartisan action to improve the lives of Australia’s Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
“The Parliament is today here assembled to deal with this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation’s soul, and in a true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia,” Mr. Rudd told Parliament.
This was “Government business, motion No. 1,” the first act of Mr. Rudd’s Labor government, which was sworn in Tuesday after a convincing electoral win over the 11-year administration of John Howard, who had for years refused to apologize for the misdeeds of past governments.
Mr. Rudd’s apology was particularly addressed to the so-called Stolen Generations, the tens of thousands of indigenous children who were removed, sometimes forcibly, from their families in a policy of assimilation that only ended in the 1970s.
In some states it was part of a policy to “breed out the color,” in the words of Cecil Cook, who held the title of chief protector of Aborigines in the Northern Territory in the 1930s.
“We apologize especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country,” Mr. Rudd said as hundreds of members of the Stolen Generations listened in the gallery, some with tears in their eyes. “For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
“To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”
The 4-minute apology, and the 20-minute speech that followed, received a standing ovation both inside the chamber and from the hundreds gathered on the grounds of Parliament House in the capital, Canberra.
“I thought it was fantastic,” said Kirstie Parker, the managing editor of the influential Aboriginal newspaper The Koori Mail.
She said that it was not just the apology that was important: Mr. Rudd recounted stories of the victims, Ms. Parker noted, bringing the reality of the misdeeds to light and publicly confronting those who deny what happened.
For more on this article, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/world/asia/13aborigine.html?scp=2&sq=february+13%2C+2008+australia&st=nytTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-36452589840071745362008-02-18T19:13:00.003-05:002008-12-09T00:47:58.888-05:00New York City's Mayor Bloomberg Adresses UN General Assembly on the Importance of Climate Change<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEOsC1v8YoRAaML4Mn9xzzGEwr2n_JfCwz6Simr54gkEEz5QlNx7Tp4v_2xGKXLv0di2wbROTKIF2qhmkXyhwt7ojh4qnFOTRpHko5LVbuhHP_GhjPyCv6v2kEKM23bpQiOErnh5bg1w/s1600-h/bloomberg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEOsC1v8YoRAaML4Mn9xzzGEwr2n_JfCwz6Simr54gkEEz5QlNx7Tp4v_2xGKXLv0di2wbROTKIF2qhmkXyhwt7ojh4qnFOTRpHko5LVbuhHP_GhjPyCv6v2kEKM23bpQiOErnh5bg1w/s320/bloomberg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168480235142801090" /></a>
The UN General Assembly held a high-level discussion on climate change at United Nations headquarters last week. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the 3-day meeting on Monday, February 11 saying that if 2007 was the year when climate change rose to the top of the global agenda - with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change making it clear that climate change was already happening and accelerating - then 2008 was the time for concerted action to follow up on the powerful declarations of political will voiced at the Bali Climate Change Conference last December. In Bali, countries agreed to launch negotiations on a new international climate change agreement by the end of 2009. The challenge is huge. We have less than two years to craft an agreement on action that measures up to what the science tells us. It will have to map out emission limitation commitments; agree on essential action to adapt to the impacts of climate change; and mobilize the necessary financing and technological innovations. New York's Mayor Bloomberg also addressed the UN General Assembly, expressing his pleasure at having participated in the Climate Change Convention in Bali and saying that, between now and the planned Copenhagen meeting at the end of 2009, both developed and developing nations must resolve to change their policies - and that the worlds cities must be an important part of those changes. For effective results, he said targets for reducing carbon emissions must be imposed and the United States must take a leadership role in that area by imposing a carbon tax. Serious carbon targets will not hamper growth and would make us all better off. He said the targets must be ambitious, but also achievable, adding that New York City had shown the way through its Plan NYC, which envisions reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. The United States could do the same with zero cost, because of the efficiencies and opportunities involved. More than 700 cities in the United States are currently trying to meet the challenges of reducing urban pollution and challenging climate change, and enlisting private-sector companies in the cause as well.
www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/ga10687.doc.htm http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/statements/bloombergspeech.shtmlTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-31555470742102730922008-02-16T18:02:00.003-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.085-05:00Report for International Expert Group Meeting on Indigenous Languages Available<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8KUdwlpB9kpXRjQy6da9ACCetYLlr0B8Pz5I_cHO771vpfUSYozGlrwp8SF-6l_IQDNk1Ye_bTbZmQapUMAZTqptMl4XQIspLXku12AXKo1rSqgtihcOQUM_IEgnv5Vjm2Hj0beybUs/s1600-h/Lingo.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8KUdwlpB9kpXRjQy6da9ACCetYLlr0B8Pz5I_cHO771vpfUSYozGlrwp8SF-6l_IQDNk1Ye_bTbZmQapUMAZTqptMl4XQIspLXku12AXKo1rSqgtihcOQUM_IEgnv5Vjm2Hj0beybUs/s320/Lingo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167718307944490674" /></a>
Dear Friends-- The "advance unedited version" of the report of the EGM on Indigenous
languages is ready. It is available on the UNPFII website here...
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/EGM_IL.html ...
Please read and enjoy.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-52835648446006825572008-01-30T19:04:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.252-05:00Australia to Apologize to Aborigines<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX71iV6svvQGTSVDbWvatYhhWrxg-6P8MYt3PpgmO0tBpsEdANFJicd6WLa8cVANrkOHAE30Fbu4hb0QkyQovDHXLRWU8O5k_FGcn7oiWObwtGzK_fGb7hlqiqn9GEvjleIb2QFeUcWU/s1600-h/Australia.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX71iV6svvQGTSVDbWvatYhhWrxg-6P8MYt3PpgmO0tBpsEdANFJicd6WLa8cVANrkOHAE30Fbu4hb0QkyQovDHXLRWU8O5k_FGcn7oiWObwtGzK_fGb7hlqiqn9GEvjleIb2QFeUcWU/s320/Australia.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161426105538194482" /></a>
As posted in the New York Times: SYDNEY, Australia — The new Australian government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will apologize for past mistreatment of the country’s Aboriginal minority when Parliament convenes next month, addressing an issue that has blighted race relations in Australia for years.
In a measure of the importance Mr. Rudd attaches to the issue, the apology will be the first item of business for the new government when Parliament convenes Feb. 13, Jenny Macklin, the federal minister for indigenous affairs, said Wednesday.
Ms. Macklin said she had consulted widely with Aboriginal leaders, but it was still not clear what form the apology would take. However, she said the government would not bow to longstanding demands for a fund to compensate those damaged by the policies of past governments.
The history of relations between Australia’s Aboriginal population and the broader population is one of brutality and neglect. Tens of thousands of Aborigines died from disease, war and dispossession in the years after European settlement. Aboriginal people were not permitted to vote in national elections until 1962.
But the most lasting damage was done by the policy of placing Aboriginal children with white families or in state institutions as part of a drive to assimilate them.
A comprehensive 1997 report estimates that 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 Aboriginal children, the so-called stolen generations, were taken from their homes and families in the century before the policy was formally abandoned in 1969.
“A national apology to the stolen generations and their families is a first, necessary step to move forward from the past,” Ms. Macklin said. “The apology will be made on behalf of the Australian government and does not attribute guilt to the current generation of Australian people.”
Marcia Langton, a professor of Australian indigenous studies at the University of Melbourne, said the apology was a good first step, but she added that it was hard to see where the government’s program would go from there. “There can’t be any next step without a compensation fund,” Ms. Langton, one of Australia’s most prominent Aboriginal advocates, said Wednesday.
She said she suspected that the apology was aimed more at pleasing the core voter base of Mr. Rudd’s Labor Party than Aboriginal people. “It’s difficult not to be cynical,” she said.
The previous government of Prime Minister John Howard, which was convincingly beaten in elections last November, had refused to apologize to the Aboriginal population for past wrongs.
“There are millions of Australians who will never entertain an apology because they don’t believe that there is anything to apologize for,” Mr. Howard told a local radio station last year. “They are sorry for past mistreatment but that is different from assuming responsibility for it.”
Many of Mr. Howard’s critics said that he was unwilling to apologize because it would open the flood gates to potentially huge claims for compensation.
Ms. Langton estimates that 13,000 members of the stolen generations survive.
Aborigines constitute about 2.7 percent of Australia’s 20.4 million people. Life expectancy for Aboriginal people is 17 years lower than for other Australians; they are 13 times more likely to be incarcerated; three times more likely to be unemployed; and twice as likely to be victims of violence or threats of violence.
Successive governments have been wary of intervening in Aboriginal affairs, and many blame policies carried out in the 1970s as part of a drive to empower indigenous Australians for further marginalizing them.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-84418377376577947052008-01-25T19:12:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.396-05:00International Waters: Special Programs in Conjunction with Museum's Water Exhibit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclHbiOwH7JFhRMLaa40Xp8PcTUKvWO171AA6lBvT040mFztvNbToR1B2bxeXp7cowg1BVFT2yXZkL3ZI3WcYT7odC3_tQP2IiR-PputLprEUq1c919BwrgwaaVbon69zB-V-whTYi16A/s1600-h/chinese-theater-works.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclHbiOwH7JFhRMLaa40Xp8PcTUKvWO171AA6lBvT040mFztvNbToR1B2bxeXp7cowg1BVFT2yXZkL3ZI3WcYT7odC3_tQP2IiR-PputLprEUq1c919BwrgwaaVbon69zB-V-whTYi16A/s320/chinese-theater-works.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159573144977550370" /></a>
Saturday, January 26- Kaufmann and Linder Theaters, first floor, These programs focus on the traditional water stories of China and India to the current global impacts of China's water policies.
Dances of India*
First Performance • 12:30 p.m., Kaufmann Theater, first floor
Second Performance • 4:00 p.m., Kaufmann Theater, first floor
The Nartanrang Dance Academy, led by choreographer/director Swati Vaishnav, performs pieces exploring the integral nature of water in the daily lives of India's ethnic groups. A question-and-answer session follows.
The Legend of the White Snake
photo: Corky Lee
The Legend of the White Snake *
First Performance • 1:30 p.m., Kaufmann Theater, first floor
Second Performance • 4:30 p.m., Kaufmann Theater, first floor
Chinese Theatre Works performs the ever-popular Peking Opera work of West Lake, The Legend of the White Snake, a story of romance, water creatures, and an example of nature's overwhelming power that is water. A question-and-answer session follows.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-75514972749185593012008-01-08T18:13:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.490-05:00Museum Focuses on Water as a Precious Resource<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuqYjY434O0seEm8zAZ0ioAF81U85QqsphSRbBHeKEi7eJwx6cWvJN2-XiqUAl79-9shR-RLP70hfEz9PBNMen-MPxS25d-RGUKIv_wnFrHKy_WfiAt9MFRBIGILqlhuVnrxGJqmvY_s/s1600-h/water.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuqYjY434O0seEm8zAZ0ioAF81U85QqsphSRbBHeKEi7eJwx6cWvJN2-XiqUAl79-9shR-RLP70hfEz9PBNMen-MPxS25d-RGUKIv_wnFrHKy_WfiAt9MFRBIGILqlhuVnrxGJqmvY_s/s320/water.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153249375069262370" /></a>
New York - In conjunction with its dazzling exhibition Water: H2O = Life, the American Museum of Natural History’s annual public program series, “Living in America” will focus on the symbolic and community values of this precious resource. The programs will be held on January 12, 19, and 26 and will feature dynamic performances, discussions, films, and workshops for adults and families; highlighting local, national, and international stories.
This Saturday, January 12, the program is entitled “New York Water Stories”, and highlights the historical relationships that indigenous peoples had with rivers and estuaries to current water-related issues. The events begin at 12noon with an opening water blessing ceremony with Zen Buddhist priest, Sensei Bonnie Myotai Treace followed by a special presentation with the Mohawk Singers and Dancers at 1pm and 4pm. The Mohawk group will present traditional songs and social dances honoring water, such as the fish and thunder dances. Excerpts from the Iroquois Thanksgiving Address will be presented by Mohawk elder Tom Porter.
At 1:30pm, author Evan Pritchard will present “Native New Yorkers: These Ancient Waters” and discuss the importance of rivers and estuaries to the Algonquin speaking peoples of Manhattan Island. Pritchard is the author of Native New Yorkers and No Word for Time and a book signing will follow his presentation. Additional presentations and demonstrations will be given by Dale Estus, a New York City tunnel builder (2:30pm), and Long island bayman, John Buczak, fisherman Bill Hamilton, and clammer Flo Sharkey.
Completing this unique set of programming on the 12th is an AMNH Water Fair that will be held from 1pm – 5pm in the Museum’s Grand Gallery at 77th Street. The AMNH Water Fair will feature water-related demonstrations, information tables, and art displays with Long Island fisherman; Mohawk Craftsmen; Friends of Brook Park (a local environmental advocacy group); Origami U.S.A; The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy; and Taino Spirit with Reina Miranda and Aguilar Marrero.
The American Museum of Natural History’s Living in America programs are free with suggested Museum admission.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-4474505158099575152007-12-19T18:53:00.000-05:002007-12-19T19:12:12.068-05:00Bali Plan of Action will lead governments towards new treaty provisions to cover the period 2012 to 2016(Bali, 15 December 2007) – 187 countries meeting in Bali on Saturday agreed to launch negotiations towards a crucial and strengthened international climate change deal.
The decision includes a clear agenda for the key issues to be negotiated up to 2009. These are: action for adapting to the negative consequences of climate change, such as droughts and floods; ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; ways to widely deploy climate-friendly technologies and financing both adaptation and mitigation measures.Concluding negotiations in 2009 will ensure that the new deal can enter
into force by 2013, following the expiry of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
Indonesian Environment Minister and President of the conference, Rachmat
Witoelar said: “We now have a Bali roadmap, we have an agenda and we have a deadline.” “But we also have a huge task ahead of us and time to reach agreement is extremely short, so we need to move quickly,” he added.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-90295886701762271542007-12-01T15:42:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.732-05:00United Nations Climate Change Conference - Bali, 3 - 14 December 2007<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDp0YCxDytFKu38gm7QgFJbbIl6FBlzBNaxl8LjUpn5ttZemFJee4dCqxc5xgOgX9qRgz03cin8X6lH_bYijrcDfMBT88tRtepg7It4LdkLyN3kmd3bGpXaK28BsKdM3_8b4RRaBXkhg/s1600-r/UN-Climate-Change-Conference-Bali.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKva2zgrxUY1ZIFzPQoLZdzXmVtMaS9poRptAF-7y4ezxSgGMevBIk8xc7YWtupN1ZzkxMqOvH4Kk9hxivrWbU3v3k2wdQf8pCO-KRWI96hyphenhyphenXZiA74gqed_0GdPQbigNFWXW8YpUxUE8/s320/UN-Climate-Change-Conference-Bali.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139111350030668786" /></a>
The Conference, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, brings together representatives of over 180 countries together with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the media. The two week period includes the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, its subsidiary bodies as well as the Meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol. A ministerial segment in the second week will conclude the Conference.
“We need to set the stage for a comprehensive agreement that tackles climate change on all fronts – including adaptation, mitigation, deforestation, clean technologies and resource mobilization. And we have to do what we can to reach this agreement as soon as possible to ensure a global policy is in place by 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends. Our goal must be nothing short of a real breakthrough in Bali.” --Ban Ki-moon United Nations Secretary-General
For more information on the conference, please visit http://unfccc.int/2860.phpTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-91741736429737714762007-11-17T16:00:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.806-05:00Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will be the Focus 2007 UN Student Conference on Human Rights<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MAvswbR3QgDYdoTWSds_l8iOYa92gRGMAq4CuOgDxfLB2K1N3HRZUkHqnf-i3FSimAPMU1AQhiHWUFQDfzu0nujkMPAlTpOBTuPCqJGsQrN3PThwPiFRviitE8z2tx5CUUYhz_NSWHw/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MAvswbR3QgDYdoTWSds_l8iOYa92gRGMAq4CuOgDxfLB2K1N3HRZUkHqnf-i3FSimAPMU1AQhiHWUFQDfzu0nujkMPAlTpOBTuPCqJGsQrN3PThwPiFRviitE8z2tx5CUUYhz_NSWHw/s320/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133845298356531186" /></a>
The 10th Annual United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights (UNSCHR) will take place 5-7 December 2007. The theme this year is “Recognising the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. This conference supports the goals of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, which aims to strengthen cooperation for finding solutions to problems faced by indigenous peoples.
During the 2007 UN Students Human Rights Conference, the students will be working to raise awareness about indigenous people and their important contributions to society globally, highlighting the significance of this action towards achieving a just and non-discriminatory international human rights policy, and encouraging Member States to implement the Declaration at the national level.
The 2007 UNSCHR conference will unite approximately 60 youth from around the world at the UN Headquarters in New York for discussion, collaboration, and action related to the rights of indigenous peoples. Each co-sponsor will bring up to 12 student representatives to New York to participate. Many others will join through videoconferencing and web-casting.
Prior to the conference, participants will conduct their own research on universal human rights and those specific to indigenous peoples, and share their ideas across cultures through a web-based forum on the UN Cyberschoolbus website. In addition, participants were able to interact, for the first time, with indigenous representatives and with each other through the use of live video chats during the months leading up to the conference. These video chats will be posted on the UN Cyberschoolbus website throughout the conference.
During the conference, student representatives in New York will work with students from other countries participating by videoconferencing and web-casting to develop a consensus on these issues and draft a Plan of Action. The President of the UN General Assembly will be asked to be present at the end of the final day of the conference to accept the Plan of Action from the chairperson of the conference and, as in past years, request its dissemination to UN Member States.
For more information on the background of the annual Student Conference on Human Rights, please visit http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/student/2007/about.asp
To learn more about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples please follow theTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-89637639586536834912007-11-17T15:45:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:47:59.944-05:00Indigenous Permanent Forum 7th Session Pre-Registration Begins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eacPwrBQJUhD4XIOCEUsgRycjZAJCRUl1OvhmfXwjUHM2N6-U9FMUqd6wMYz5_blAVhjLytfD-N8wjMIFMZ71KoUe3-x1Pitik5HCxq-4hUTiRqVzvpHwJWHSg4-fo-Yw5O52d1Ugx8/s1600-h/PFII2003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eacPwrBQJUhD4XIOCEUsgRycjZAJCRUl1OvhmfXwjUHM2N6-U9FMUqd6wMYz5_blAVhjLytfD-N8wjMIFMZ71KoUe3-x1Pitik5HCxq-4hUTiRqVzvpHwJWHSg4-fo-Yw5O52d1Ugx8/s320/PFII2003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133849580438925314" /></a>
Pre-registration for the Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues is now open.
The Seventh Session will take place at United Nations Heqdquarteds, in New
York, from 21 April to 2 May 2008. The special theme will be "Climate
change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of
indigenous peoples and new challenges."
Pre-registration is open to indigenous peoples' organizations, academic
institutions and NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status. Please visit the
Seventh Session webpage, where you will find all online registration forms:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_seventh.html
For those who are not elligible for participation in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, there will be public access to webcasts on the United Nations website during the Forum.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-38217368893603730512007-11-17T15:20:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:48:00.082-05:00Secretary--General Ban Makes an Historic Visit to Antarctica<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgSfldTKy0sMpeTpPFU9MNwM4KVluamwcyZBGlUjkADEq8lTqV4QcAoZP7TQ2gQwjoFowoIAYnHcxpXgLh2G3ZlKBbALOsv9WzYsvJ8PoTYHzzPJLVZ6oAqYGrzb1t8jOQxhw8qb87Gc/s1600-h/Antarctica.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgSfldTKy0sMpeTpPFU9MNwM4KVluamwcyZBGlUjkADEq8lTqV4QcAoZP7TQ2gQwjoFowoIAYnHcxpXgLh2G3ZlKBbALOsv9WzYsvJ8PoTYHzzPJLVZ6oAqYGrzb1t8jOQxhw8qb87Gc/s320/Antarctica.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133908262577090594" /></a>
Ban Ki-moon became the first United Nations Secretary-General to make an official visit to Antarctica as he travelled to the frozen continent to see first-hand the effects of climate change on its melting glaciers.
Mr. Ban, who has made a climate change a priority issue during his term as Secretary-General, received a briefing from scientists at a Chilean Air Force base in Antarctica before visiting the Collins Glaciers and then the Sejong Research Centre.
Mr. Ban addressed the Ibero-American Summit in Santiago, the Chilean capital, where he told the audience that the UN’s work is “intimately linked” with the need to promote social cohesion worldwide.
“Our very mission for peace, development and human rights depends on fostering inclusive societies that are stable, safe, just and tolerant – societies that respect diversity, equality of opportunity and participation of all,” Mr. Ban said.
He stressed the importance of building and strengthening social cohesion to tackling several key challenges and issues faced by the UN, from climate change to migration to upholding indigenous rights and those of peoples with disabilities.--UN News Centre
To view photos from the Secretary--General's visit, go to http://www.un.org/av/photo/index2.htmlTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-79754583565681592202007-11-17T11:40:00.000-05:002007-11-17T16:01:20.750-05:00UN-Backed Environmental Database Now Available To Over 100 Developing CountriesMore than 100 developing nations now have access to a United
Nations-backed online environmental database which allows users to view
material worth $1.5 million from prominent environmental science
journals.
The "Online Access to Research in the Environment" project - involving
the UN Environment Programme, Yale University, the International Association
of Scientific Technical and Medical Publishers and over 300 publishers,
key scientific societies and associations - was launched last year and
offered free or low-cost service to 70 of the world's poorest nations
with per capital incomes below $1,000.
In its second phase, the initiative has added 37 more countries, areas
and territories - including Algeria, the Maldives, Suriname and Vanuatu
- with per capita incomes ranging between $1,000 and $3,000.
"Providing practitioners, researchers and scientists with online access
to scientific research on the environment has been a long-held dream and
desire by institutions around the world," said UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner.
The project is making great strides towards bridging the North-South
scientific gap and digital divide, as well as bolstering environmental
institutions in many developing nations, he added.
After a three-month free trial period, participating countries'
institutions will be asked for yearly contributions of $1,000, which is
less than 0.1 per cent of the annual retail subscription value of the
available resources. These fees will be reinvesting in training
programmes in these countries.
Microsoft and Ex Libris Software are assisting in the project, allowing
for full-text articles to be opened directly, allowing users to save
time.
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to:
http://radio.un.org/Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-62883042631762800062007-11-14T19:11:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:48:00.740-05:00Diabetes Puts Tribal People at Risk of Extinction<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDKQAtpnZ5aV6L4eEHpYgoW9YiPOXFDV-_O5s6pvzXwHi1P8NgYCW1PEJlsJXa4VW0UMXLjN-eDabe4B56CaOInt0DvzZUNZ4tr7-4LTROvFgn8As7wmhECFjHaZaForaUkod4PAxIXo/s1600-h/diabetes2.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDKQAtpnZ5aV6L4eEHpYgoW9YiPOXFDV-_O5s6pvzXwHi1P8NgYCW1PEJlsJXa4VW0UMXLjN-eDabe4B56CaOInt0DvzZUNZ4tr7-4LTROvFgn8As7wmhECFjHaZaForaUkod4PAxIXo/s320/diabetes2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132856628743139410" /></a>
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE--
As 14 November marks the first UN World Diabetes Day, a new report from Survival has highlighted the catastrophic impact of diabetes on tribal people who have been removed from their land.
The problem is so serious that Professor Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Institute has said, 'Without urgent action there certainly is a real risk of a major wipe-out [due to diabetes] of indigenous communities, if not total extinction, within this century.'
Survival's new report on indigenous people's health, 'Progress can kill', details the horrific rise in diabetes amongst tribal people who have been forced off their land and into a sedentary lifestyle. The Pima Indians of Arizona are a striking example: more than half of the Pima over the age of 35 have the disease. In Australia, Aborigines are 22 times more likely to die from diabetes than other Australians.
When tribal peoples are separated from their land, the resulting change of diet from high-protein to high-fat food often leads to diabetes. The disease can lead to blindness, kidney failure, strokes, heart disease and amputations.
Survival's director Stephen Corry said today, 'Diabetes is a stark example of how forcing Western ideas of 'development' on tribal people leads to the breakdown of their health. Diabetes amongst tribal people living on their own land is extremely rare, but for those forced off their land in the name of 'progress', it is one of the biggest threats to their survival.'
Survival's report, 'Progress can kill', is available at http://www.survival-international.org/campaigns/progresscankill
For further reading on diabetes and it's direct effect on indigenous peoples, please visit http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/540921Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-23085314954370592242007-10-30T17:55:00.000-04:002008-12-09T00:48:00.893-05:00UN Declaration Assists Indigenous Peoples<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Q-iyuifj4hXvTdRyMn0FD6hNGkrFy5545H4frUi9HFxscPMMLJUkHlAliOC2IEkZvsx5Ht5zWIyJbCRrW-m4xzhj1npnVlQvMQ_E_wrcJ_WuENDtKakjhGAOIrw8ALGqyZlWi08qDTc/s1600-h/Belize--+www.treknature.com"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Q-iyuifj4hXvTdRyMn0FD6hNGkrFy5545H4frUi9HFxscPMMLJUkHlAliOC2IEkZvsx5Ht5zWIyJbCRrW-m4xzhj1npnVlQvMQ_E_wrcJ_WuENDtKakjhGAOIrw8ALGqyZlWi08qDTc/s320/Belize--+www.treknature.com" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127256349703925522" /></a>
Belize (UCTP Taino News) - The Supreme Court of Belize, on October 18, cites the recently adopted United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples to justify its decision upholding the rights of Mayan People to their traditional lands.
The Supreme Court decision involved the Maya villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz and noted that their customary land tenure practices give rise to property rights that are protected under the Constitution of Belize. The Court found that that the failure of the government of Belize to recognize and protect those rights constitute a violation of the constitutional protections of property, equality, life and security of the person. The judgment, which took approximately two and a half hours to read, affirmed that Belize is obligated not only by the Constitution but also by international treaty and customary law - including the recent United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - to respect and protect Maya customary land rights.
The decision is being hailed as a landmark in Belize as well as throughout the Caribbean region and beyond as it is the first judgment applied specifically to the United Nations' declaration, which was adopted Sept. 13 by the U.N. General Assembly.
The victory is expected to result in more protections and land rights for Indigenous People in Belize and potentially affects more than 40 Maya villages. Community leaders are calling it Mayan Independence Day.
Source: The Voice of the Taino People Online
http://www.uctp.blogspot.com/Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-60768236571071423842007-10-24T19:40:00.000-04:002008-12-09T00:48:01.041-05:00Congo Pygmies Use Technology to Preserve Their Lands<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RbJsFbJiaCbGxpw5J0pjh8AkXDQZHIomNUuPSyL0TMTUMi03Az9cbkY1gA7mojin746WilgN-NrF-S7ZyML5xaZ3vFkjQn5eBrbc8RjWJLDBx29OosPbho8y22TcM-w8K3tIMrNmn-8/s1600-h/GPS.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RbJsFbJiaCbGxpw5J0pjh8AkXDQZHIomNUuPSyL0TMTUMi03Az9cbkY1gA7mojin746WilgN-NrF-S7ZyML5xaZ3vFkjQn5eBrbc8RjWJLDBx29OosPbho8y22TcM-w8K3tIMrNmn-8/s320/GPS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125061170444103426" /></a>
Dakar-- In an unusual allience with Africa's largest logging company, Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) owned by Denmark's DLH group, and other international partners, northern Congo's Mbendjele Yaka People are tapping into technology as a means of preserving forest areas crucial to their survival. Armed with hand-held Global Positioning Systems (GPS) this pygmie group ventures through their sacred lands and digitally enters into the GPS device the whereabouts of forest areas and trees that they want preseved."It's essentially a process by which the traditional rights of the pygmies can be respected and protected," said Scott Poynton, executive director of the Tropical Forest Trust, which works to promote responsible forest management in the world."The sets have icons on them, so they don't have to be able to read and write. They basically go out and say OK, click, here is a sacred site, and a GPS point is taken and links up to the satellite... And suddenly, you've got a map... It's a wonderful partnership between very poor, disenfranchised traditional people and a large company that's saying we want to do things the right way," Poynton said.
To read more about this unique relationship, please visit http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101407G.shtmlTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-7675842246321030942007-10-21T16:52:00.000-04:002007-10-21T17:22:02.627-04:00Special Film Screening, October 22 & 23'Standing Silent Nation' is a compelling documentary film that chronicals the story of the White Plumes, a Native American family on the Pine Ridge Reservation, as they assert their sovereignty through the growing of industrial hemp, in order to create economic independence.
The screenings will be hosted by Deborah and Alex White Plume and special community dialogues will be taking place. Everyone is encouraged to experience this special event. I look forward to seeing you there!
For more information on the event, you may contact OWE-AKU, BRING BACK THE WAY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE GROUP at iamkent@vorizon.net. THE SCREENINGS WILL TAKE PLACE
Monday, October 22, 2007--American Indian Community House--7:00 pm
11 Broadway (Take 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green)212-598-0100
Tuesday, October 23, 2007--International Action Center--7:00 pm
55 West 17th Street, 5th floor, 212-633-6646Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-9640439007199214792007-10-02T16:21:00.000-04:002007-10-02T15:51:16.476-04:00Tribal Link FoundationWelcome to Tribal Link Foundation's online news source! This blog has been set up to share with our friends and supporters the achievments and challenges of the world's indigenous communities. For those of you who are not aware of Tribal Link we are a communications network linking indigenous peoples to information, media, resources and relevent networks, with a special focus on the United Nations system. Tribal Link provides information to the public regarding indigenous peoples and their issues, emphasizing the significance of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Since 1993, we have been working to support the world's indigenous peoples by organizing events and forums where indigenous peoples can publicize their issues; ensuring that indigenous peoples are informed and included in major UN and other forums, conferences and dialogues; mobilizing media professionals to publicize issues critical to tradtional peoples and their culture; arranginging hospitality programs and providing enriching cross-cultural exchanges; coordinating capacity building workshops focusing on indigenous peoples' participation within the international system. We also work to ensure that the vital contribution of indigenous spiritual knowledge is included in major UN conferences, commissions and other events.Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-60982105530811307332007-09-21T15:30:00.000-04:002008-12-09T00:48:01.213-05:00September 24, UN Secretary General Calls for Building Momentum in Climate Change Policy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CKR9qGGUA9C8xfzxhCBA03Mbso6D3Aogki-LIEnfqAr955_0_-GyRO8rHBSl5RH0TSr1it5BxtinFiWK4qNqqtb5hIrt00I1KszYqU-A1eAgRNXF7Gy4jV_7TOUmrF4mleG9kPbDpDo/s1600-h/SecGen-BanKi-Moon1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CKR9qGGUA9C8xfzxhCBA03Mbso6D3Aogki-LIEnfqAr955_0_-GyRO8rHBSl5RH0TSr1it5BxtinFiWK4qNqqtb5hIrt00I1KszYqU-A1eAgRNXF7Gy4jV_7TOUmrF4mleG9kPbDpDo/s320/SecGen-BanKi-Moon1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112768120864393874" /></a>
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saught to advance the global agenda on climate change when he met with heads of state and other top officials from more than 150 countries at United Nations Headquarters on 24 September. More than 70 heads of state or government attended the one-day event, making it the largest meeting ever of world leaders on climate change which was aimed at securing political commitment and building momentum for the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali where negotiations about a new international climate agreement should start. "Bali must advance a negotiating agenda to combat climate change on all fronts, including adaptation, mitigation, clean technologies, deforestation and resource mobilization," said Mr. Ban, who has made the issue one of his top priorities.
"We cannot go on this way for long," Mr. Ban said, addressing a recent session of the UN General Assembly. "We cannot continue with business as usual. The time has come for decisive action on a global scale."
The event was webcast and can be accessed at http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/Tribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236358414364534380.post-25664048098935905842007-09-14T14:42:00.000-04:002008-12-09T00:48:01.387-05:00UN General Assembly Supports Indigenous Rights<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAdPt0WlxvBq2oAyxuhUN4IdFZ30eCowaT7Pc2Zghmb_wr75JU1tv6mPgc7LNqlWQ2CJEbnpGlDav12sl1UETeblP7cM9gr8gh-X4N-k4WIglV7dtTqE_JSVYX9FCrAGHqES1n54D7q0/s1600-h/IndigenousCelebrationPhoto.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAdPt0WlxvBq2oAyxuhUN4IdFZ30eCowaT7Pc2Zghmb_wr75JU1tv6mPgc7LNqlWQ2CJEbnpGlDav12sl1UETeblP7cM9gr8gh-X4N-k4WIglV7dtTqE_JSVYX9FCrAGHqES1n54D7q0/s320/IndigenousCelebrationPhoto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110139229711893554" /></a>
September 13, 2007 marked an historic moment for the more than 370,000,000 indigneous peoples of the world when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The vote in the assembly was 143 in favor and four against. Eleven countries, including Russia and Colombia, abstained while opposition came from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
“... by adopting the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
we are making further progress to improve the situation of indigenous
peoples around the world,” stated General Assembly President Haya Al
Khalifa.
The vote is the climax of 22 years of intensive debate and negotiation.Adopted by the Human Rights Council in June 2006,the Declaration addresses both individual and collective rights, cultural rights and identity, rights to education, health, employment,language and others. The Declaration explicitly encourages harmonious
and cooperative relations between States and Indigenous Peoples.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warmly welcomed the adoption, calling it
“a triumph for indigenous peoples around the world.” He further noted that “this marks a historic moment when UN Member States and indigenous peoples reconciled with their painful histories and resolved to move forward together on the path of human rights, justice and development for all.”
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr.
Sha Zukang said that the UN “has fulfilled its role as the world’s
parliament and has responded to the trust that Indigenous Peoples around
the world placed in it, that it will stand for dignity and justice,
development and peace for all, without discrimination."
To view a webcast of the General Assembly session, see:
www.un.org/webcast/ga.htmlTribal Link Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05218385131002704031noreply@blogger.com1