Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

9^th August International Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration

Implement the UNDRIP for the Wellbeing and Survival with

 Dignity of Indigenous Peoples

Statement by Joan Carling, Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)

9 August 2010

In 1994, the UN General Assembly adopted the 9^th of August as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.  This is one of our major achievements in our relentless struggles and advocacy at local to the global levels in promoting the recognition of our distinct identities and inherent collective rights.  Another historical victory of indigenous peoples is the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or UNDRIP by the General Assembly on 13 September 2007.

The UNDRIP sets the minimum standard for the recognition of the collective rights of indigenous peoples by states, UN agencies, funds and programmes and now forms part of   international human rights instruments. Except for the government of Bangladesh who abstained, all the other Asian governments voted favourably for the adoption of the UNDRIP. As such, they have the moral and political responsibility to uphold the UNDRIP as part of their international human rights obligations.

External Evaluation of the

Indigenous Community Organizers and Leaders Training (ICOLT) Phase 1 project

(A Regional Inter-Peoples Empowerment and Capacity Building Program

among Indigenous Peoples in Asia)

The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Regional Capacity Building Programme will conduct an external field evaluation for the project on Indigenous Community Organizers and Leaders Training (ICOLT) project that was implemented among six indigenous peoples organizations in five countries between 2007- 2009.