[IPSM] [news] Hunger strike comes to an end

[Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movment - Montreal]

SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE INDIGENOUS
REPRESENTATIVESâ HUNGER STRIKE AND SPIRITUAL FAST AT THE UN WORKING
GROUP ON THE DRAFT DECLARATION FOR THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES


To the Communications Media

To the Indigenous Peoples of the World

Sisters and Brothers

Ladies and Gentlemen


This morning, Thursday December 2, 2004, we,
the Indigenous Peoples' delegates who joined together in a hunger
strike and spiritual fast inside the United Nations during the 10th
session of the Intersessional Working Group on the Draft Declaration
on the Rights on Indigenous Peoples, participated in a traditional
Lakota ceremony to end our fast.


Through this ceremony we offered our profound
thanks for the many positive outcomes of this action, which far
exceeded our expectations. We also offered our prayers for the many
peoples, organizations and individuals that supported us and provided
assistance.


This support was vital to the success of our
efforts and made this small sacrifice worthwhile.


We have decided to end our hunger strike and
spiritual fast for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in response to an
appeal by the representative of the UN High Commissioner on Human
Rights and the Vice President of the UN Commission on Human Rights who
have met with us, listened to us with open minds and hearts, and
responded to our concerns with proposals that offered from our point
of view, concrete and positive steps forward.


 They requested that we end this action because
most of our immediate objectives have been accomplished.  Over
the long term, they will continue to work with us to insure that no
document different from the Sub-Commission text will be adopted by the
Human Rights Commission if it is not produced by a consensus of the
Indigenous Peoples.


We offered to present our concerns  in
writing to the High Commissioner, to the Chair of the Human Rights
Commission and to all the Chairs of the regional caucuses, so the can
be fully aware of what took place in the Working Group.


They offered to set up a meeting between the
Office of the Human Rights Commission and us, prior to the Human
Rights Commission session in March of 2005.


They agreed, if the Working Group's time is
extended, to establish new procedures for participation, ones that
would guarantee that the voice of Indigenous Peoples and organizations
who cannot be present in Geneva can also be heard.


We, as Indigenous peoples' delegates from
different countries, undertook this action, with the support and
solidarity of Indigenous Peoples and organizations from around the
world, to call the worldâs attention to the continued attempts by
some states, as well as this UN process itself, to weaken and
undermine the Draft Declaration developed in the UN Working Group on
Indigenous Populations and adopted by the UN Sub Commission for the
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. The
outpouring of messages of support for this position from all parts of
the world continues. As of last night we had received several hundred
faxes and e-mail messages. We encourage everyone who has made their
position known as a result of this action to continue to monitor the
situation regarding the UN Draft Declaration, especially the position
of the countries in which they live. We ask you to continue to let
these governments know that Indigenous Peoples will not allow our
rights to be negotiated, compromised or diminished in this UN process,
which Indigenous Peoples initiated more than 20 years ago.  We
will continue to call for the adoption of the Sub Commission text
which has been approved by two UN bodies and has been endorsed and
supported by hundreds of Indigenous Peoples and organizations as the
minimum standard required for the recognition and protection of
Indigenous Peoples' rights internationally.


We want to thank Mr.Dzidek Kedzia,
Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
and Ambassador Gordan Markotic, Vice President of the Office of the
Commission on Human Rights, for their very positive approach in
responding to our concerns.


We sincerely thank the members of INDIGENEVE
for their hard work and generous assistance.


We especially thank the hundreds of Indigenous
Peoples, Organizations, friends and supporters who wrote to us with
messages of support. We strongly urge that their voices continue to be
heard in these discussions, which directly affect their lives and
survival.


We especially appreciate and acknowledge our
brother, Marcelino Diaz de Jesus, known to many of us, who has been in
a hunger strike in his community in Mexico, in solidarity with ours,
as have many others around the world.


Brothers and sisters, we are in this great
house but it is not our house. We are in a palace where documents are
written for Peoples but not for our Indigenous Peoples. They open
doors for us to enter but they close their ears and hearts. What can
we do? We can do many things, even a hunger strike. But there is one
thing we should never do - we should never, never give up our
rights.



For our Peoples, our Future Generations, and
For All Our Relations,

Adelard Blackman, Buffalo River Dene Nation,
Canada ;

Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation, Arizona United
States ;

Alexis Tiouka, Kali–a, French Guyana;

Charmaine White Face, Ogala Tetuwan, Sioux
Nation Territory, North America ;

Danny Billie, Traditional Independent Seminole
Nation of Florida, United States;

Saul Vicente, Zapoteca, Mexico.



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