Sixty five years ago, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declaring that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Yet, Indigenous Peoples worldwide still struggle to protect their basic rights and suffer gross human rights abuses.
Indigenous women demand that the States recognize the authority and competency of their communities in the management of their lands, territories, and resources.
They pledge to be part of the solution to the food crisis that will consequently result in climate change.
Unanimously, the Indigenous women of the world declared that if States did not restore the control that the women had over their land, territories, and resources, it would not only put the communities’ lives in danger, but all of humanity as well.
On November 1, 2013, Cultural Survival Executive Director Suzanne Benally will speak at the University of Colorado Law School's conference on Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Pathways for a New Millennium.
By Jess Cherofsky (CS STAFF) “Food sovereignty is knowing the species we have on our lands, knowing what kind of seeds to plant in each territory,” said Clemencia Herrera from the Colombian Amazon in the working group on food sovereignty and the World Conference of Indigenous Women, which took place in Lima, Peru, October 28-30, 2013.
Over two hundred women from Africa, the Arctic, Asia, Latin America, North America, the Pacific, and Russia are gathering in Lima, Peru from October 28th to 30th during the World Conference of Indigenous Women. They are demand the greater prominence of Indigenous women at every level of decision-making and calling upon governments to dedicate funding to attend to the specific needs of Indigenous women.
Watch UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya's opening address to conference participants.
Indigenous Women of the World Unite in Lima, Peru
Indigenous women leaders from every continent will join together in Lima, Peru, to demand that States eradicate violence.
On October 15, 2013, James Anaya, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, concluded an eight-day trip to Canada. During the trip, Anaya visited several locations, meeting with government officials and First Nations with the intention of examining the human rights of Canada’s Indigenous population. Summarizing the findings of his trip, Anaya had tough words for the Canadian government in a statement published on October 15.
On October 28 - 30, 2013 in Lima, Peru over 200 Indigenous women from all over the globe will gather in preparation for the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014. The conference is a strategic opportunity that will enable Indigenous youth and women from the seven regions of the world to be informed, reach consensus and establish a common, political statement as a world-level Indigenous women's movement.
Myth: Native American mascots honor Native peoples.
Reality: Native American mascots are racist, filled with stereotypical depictions of Native peoples.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
