First Indigenous Peoples Millennium Conference to take place in Panama City

Panama City, 4 May 2001

The first conference for Indigenous Peoples of the millennium will bring together Indigenous representatives from all parts of the globe to address issues of discrimination and racism against Indigenous Peoples. Important Indigenous representatives from all continents will attend this conference - from the Aborigines of Australia and Native Americans to the Pygmies of the African rainforest and the Inuit of the Arctic North. The Indigenous Peoples' Millenium Conference will take place at the Gran Hotel Soloy in Panama City from May 7-11, 2001.

Indigenous Peoples are faced with serious forms of discrimination and racism in many parts of the world. The goal of this conference is for Indigenous Peoples to exchange experiences and develop common strategies in order to promote and protect their rights in light of the United Nations' Decade for the World's Indigenous People (1994-2004). It also sets out to influence the upcoming United Nation's World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The Millennium Conference will hopefully bring about a new connection between Indigenous grassroots and international politics.

The Indigenous representatives at the conference will evaluate the results -up to now- of the United Nations Decade for the World's Indigenous People and set the goals they want to reach before the end of this Decade, in 2004. This Decade was intended by the United Nations to strengthen international co-operation for the solution of problems faced by Indigenous Peoples in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health. Up to now, this Decade has not produced strong results.

Within the period of the Decade (1994-2004), Indigenous Peoples want to see the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples accepted by the United Nations. This declaration, which is currently being discussed in the UN-Commission for Human Rights, is considered necessary because current provisions on human rights and environment do not sufficiently protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. This Draft Declaration represents one of the most important developments in the promotion and protection of the basic rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous Peoples.

The Indigenous representatives at this conference will also discuss the establishment of the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations. This Forum is to be the first permanent UN body dedicated entirely to the issues that concern Indigenous Peoples.

The Indigenous representatives will also set out to formulate strategies to influence the upcoming United Nation's World Conference on Racism, which will take place in September 2001 in South Africa. Indigenous Peoples want to ensure that the World Conference on Racism will take into account the specific forms of racial discrimination that Indigenous Peoples suffer, such as the denial of the rights to their traditional lands and the oppression of their cultures.

The conference programme will consist of keynote speeches, plenary panels and various workshops. They will be led by key figures in the Indigenous Peoples' movement. Delegates of Non-Governmental Organisations in support of Indigenous Peoples will also be present. The evenings will be dedicated to the exchange and celebration of Indigenous cultures.

The Millennium Conference is organised by Asociación Napguana from Panama, in collaboration with the Netherlands' Centre for Indigenous Peoples. The programme and agenda of the conference was developed by a global Steering Committee of Indigenous representatives.

Press events

Saterday 5 May at 14.00 hours the Kuna organisation Napguana - the local organisers of the conference - will hold a press-conference at the Gran Hotel Soloy. The president of Napguana Nelson De Leon and the conference co-ordinator Atencio Lopez will be present.

Monday 7 May from 9.00 to 10.00 hours press is invited to attend the opening ceremony of the conference at the Gran Hotel Soloy.

Tuesday 8 may at 13.00 hours the International Indigenous Steering Committee will give a press conference at the Gran Hotel Soloy.

Conference Location

Gran Hotel Soloy, Ave. Peru y Calle 30, Panama City, Tel. (507) 227 1133

Press contacts for the conference are:

David Boerma (English and Dutch)
Tel. (507) 616 8872
davidnciv@hotmail.com

Atencio Lopez (Spanish)
Tel./fax. (507) 227 5886 / (507) 227 2024
mileniok@hotmail.com

Background information on the conference and its topics can be found at: www.nciv.net/millennium