DOCUMENT: GRENLAND.TXT U N I T E D N A T I O N S WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS 11th SESSION July, 1993 GENEVA DECLARATION by the Prime Minister of Greenland on Home Rule Madame Chairman, Honourable Members of the Working Group, Distinguished Representatives of States and Indigenous Peoples. During the eleven years of this Working Group's existence the world has changed radically. Some changes have been positive for our hopes for new global opportunities Other changes have conjured up frightening monsters that we had hoped belonged to the past. I am thinking of the changes in the world's block structure which have given a new lease of life to hopes for democracy, equality and human rights At the same time I am thinking of the racial and ethnic conflicts which have arisen in the wake of the very same changes. While this Working Group has worked on the creation of paragraphs, which were intended to set minimal standards for the world's treatment of indigenous peoples it has been proved in several places that the problems this Working Group discusses can be solved. In those places it has been shown that the recognition of the indigenous populations as peoples and the respect for the right of self-determination is not destructive for a state's unity. Unfortunately, developments in other areas have shown that ignoring wishes for new partnerships and self- government between states and ethnic groups can lead to violent conflicts In the worst cases this develops into war and ethnic cleansing. Regarding the positive as well as the negative developments, the United Nations is at the centre. It is to the UN that everyone turns when the good must be strengthened and the bad must be stopped. There is no higher place of appeal to the conscience of the world. The establishment by the UN, of this Working Group in 1982, expresses all the hopes placed in this world organization. Firstly, the UN took a big and positive step by recognising that the rights of indigenous peoples must be treated as distinct from the minorities issue. By this act alone, the UN system recognised that we, the indigenous peoples, are in fact distinct peoples and not just sub-groups within states. Secondly, the establishment of the Working Group was an expression of the wish of the UN - and later also of the ILO - for a change of attitude. This was a wish for a change of past policies of assimilation towards a recognition of our right to separate cultural, linguistic and economic forms of living within nation states. Thirdly, the establishment of the Working Group was an expression of the recognition of indigenous peoples as members of the global community. It was recognised that we no longer belonged solely to the states in which we live, but that we were distinct cultures belonging to international society. Finally, we must hope that through the Working Group, the UN can achieve results which will set the standards on how individual states can create new forms of self- government for indigenous peoples. Last week's progress on the draft declaration was certainly an important step towards the fulfillment of these expectations. Precisely by setting uniform standards for the rights of indigenous peoples the states will achieve a situation where the UN also becomes a place of appeal for them. It will mean the creation of a third party, in the relationship between indigenous peoples and states to whom both parties are equal. A new partner to whom both can turn for advice and support. That is why this declaration by the Working Group is so important for us indigenous peoples as well as for the states we belong to. During the whole process, it has been a sign of the Working Group's wisdom that it has operated through open meetings where everyone was allowed to speak. This praiseworthy openness has been an excellent symbol of the wish for a result based on mutual respect. As the representative of an indigenous people, I wish to emphasize to the Chairman and to the members of the Working Group our appreciation of this attitude. We have felt a deep respect for the willingness to listen in patience and in understanding to our statements over the years gone by. No matter what the final result will be of this text of declaration, which we all know must be based on compromises, the process itself has been a big step forward towards making indigenous peoples more visible on the world scene. I believe that many of us have learned how to become more visible on the international scene. At the same time, we have learned that we too must respect the values and cultural rights of our counterparts. It is an incredibly complicated process for different peoples to live together in a single state. In order to avoid war and terror we must seek an understanding of each other's cultures in a continuous dynamic process. This understanding must be based on respect for the individual human being as well as for the peoples We must build on mutual loyalty based on respect for our differences. Lack of respect for other cultures as well as blind self-satisfaction is the seed of any racism. Madame Chairman, We are aware that even with a UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, only a few of our problems will be solved. The solution of the specific problems lies in continuous co-operation and negotiations between the individual peoples and their governments. Already 14 years ago, Greenland established self- government. A self-government which in virtually every way incorporates all the aspirations of the draft declaration. I am proud to be able to say that this has not only been of tremendous importance to my people in Greenland, but also to the unity of the Danish Kingdom. I am completely aware that our model is not necessarily suitable for other indigenous peoples and states. But, hopefully, these positive results can prove that self-government for indigenous peoples can lead to the absolute opposite of secession from the nation state. I would also like to point to the positive initiatives taken for instance in the creation of the Nunavut-agreement in Canada and the Sami Parliaments in Scandinavia. Equally, positive steps have been taken in several places in Latin America, in Australia, and also with the arrangements in the international community which New Zealand has made for the Cook-Islands. All this proves that positive, just and dynamic agreements can be created between mother states and indigenous peoples None of these have yet had any negative effect on the unity of the states. But even when our fundamental rights have been granted and we get new opportunities to develop our communities and economies, we, as indigenous peoples are faced with problems of an international magnitude. Like all other peoples we are interested in creating our own economic developments based on an active participation in the international economy. We need the protection of the international community against the campaigns which are launched against our wildlife-products on purely ethnocentric grounds. Products which are harvested in full accordance with the international standards for sustainable use. In general, we need the help and support of the world community in order to develop and protect our own economic opportunities on the world market. Here lies a big task which, unfortunately, can not be solved alone through ILO convention 169 or with the coming UN declaration. We simply need the UN to maintain and enhance its work with fundamental human rights as well as the rights of self- development for the indigenous peoples. Madame Chairman, We are in the midst of the UN year for indigenous peoples We are grateful that the UN General Assembly decided to proclaim this year and we are well aware that it is to the credit of this Working Group. But the year must not only become a cultural manifestation of our presence on this globe. It must be used for pointing towards a permanent place for the indigenous peoples in the new world order, which is today being built up with the UN at the centre. Thus it is necessary as a specific result of this year to create a permanent institution within the UN which can continue the positive contributions of the Working Group. I would like to draw your attention to the UN Meeting of Experts on Indigenous Peoples and Self-government which was held in Greenland in 1991. This meeting developed a series of principles for national as well as international cooperation in relation to indigenous peoples, the Nuuk Conclusions and Recommendations I know that the Working Group has used these conclusions as a source of inspiration in the drafting process. When the time comes for the discussion of the Working Group's future role, I feel that the Nuuk conclusions can be an inspiration again. It is my firm belief that this document can create a valuable workbasis for a new institution within the UN, dealing with the international needs of indigenous peoples. Madame Chairman, I started by pointing to the positive as well as the negative developments in the world, which we are witnessing today. On closing, I would like to emphasize that we, as indigenous peoples, do not have any wish to see new systems based on negative ethnic criteria. We wish to learn from the positive when it is happening through new regional political forms of self-government, as well as from the negative when ethnic chauvinism takes control. To this end we wish for the UN's help, so that we, the indigenous peoples, through a peaceful dialogue with our states, obtain the opportunity to show the world that cultural diversity is of benefit to all and is part of the battle for a richer and more peaceful world. Thank you Madame Chairman. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: -= THE FOURTH WORLD DOCUMENTATION PROJECT =- :: :: A service provided by :: :: The Center For World Indigenous Studies :: :: www.cwis.org :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Originating at the Center for World Indigenous Studies, Olympia, Washington USA www.cwis.org © 1999 Center for World Indigenous Studies (All Rights Reserved. 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