NEWS RELEASE
UN approves Indigenous Forum on economic issues
by Tony Belcourt

Indigenous peoples will soon enjoy the benefits of a permanent forum at the United Nations. The decision to establish the forum was made by the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) last year. The "permanent forum" is to be established and operating by 2002.

The Permanent Forum will be made up of 16 members, eight to be appointed by the member states of the UN, and eight Indigenous representatives to be appointed by the President of ECOSOC following broad based consultations with Indigenous peoples throughout the world. The decision on whether to locate the permanent forum at UN Headquarters in New York or at the UN in Geneva is yet to be made.

A first meeting with Ambassador Ivan Simonovi, Senior Vice-President of ECOSOC and representatives of Indigenous peoples was held on May 18, 2001. One key issue raised was that more time was needed for the consultation and selection process of the Indigenous representatives to the permanent forum. The deadline for selection was October 1, 2001. However, following the presentation, Ambassador Simonovi made a very clear commitment that if the Indigenous peoples required more time, then they should have that time since the permanent forum is, after all, for them.

Another more contentious issue raised was the limit of the number of Indigenous representatives. As well, it was pointed out that the identification of eight regions was also under review. Currently, the western hemisphere will have two representatives, one for North America (including Mexico) and one for the Caribbean, Central and South America. There is concern with the limited representation from this area.

The Métis National Council will be considering these issues at its Annual General Assembly in Vancouver in June. A meeting of Indigenous Peoples of North America is being planned for the fall. Discussions concerning the make up of the regions and the selection process will continue by Indigenous representatives as they gather at various UN meetings such as the Working Group On Indigenous Peoples in Geneva in July and a special symposium at the UN in New York on the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, August 9, 2001.