In May, Cultural Survival's Guatemala Radio Project content production and training coordinator, Cesar Gomez (Maya Pocomam), traveled to New York City to participate in the 10th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He presented at a side event hosted by Cultural Survival titled "Creating community dialogue on United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) through the use of community-controlled media." Cesar spoke about how many rights included in the declaration are intertwined with mission of the Radio Project: the right of self-expression, the right to maintain Indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions. He also explained how community radio stations inform their listeners of these rights, through programing produced by Cultural Survival and through the training of station volunteers. Cesar ended his presentation with one urgent request from the Indigenous community of Guatemala: that in accordance with the rights layed out in the declaration, the radio spectrum should be recognized as the communal property of communities, and not the private property of the elite.
To see Cesar's presentation at the UN, click here (in Spanish with English subtitles).
