PRESS RELEASE (3)

Opening ceremony of the Indigenous Peoples' Millennium Conference

Panama City, 7 May 2001

The First Millennium Conference for Indigenous Peoples at the Gran Hotel Soloy in Panama City has successfully brought together about 150 Indigenous Peoples representatives from over 50 countries to deliberate on issues affecting their lives. This meeting underscores the ability of Indigenous Peoples to collectively seek support for, and successfully pursue their fundamental human rights outside of the United Nations' bureaucracy.

In mid-April 1999, the United Nations and its member states declined to sponsor a mid-decade review of the Programme of Action for the UN Decade for the World's Indigenous Peoples. Such a review would have facilitated consultations between Indigenous representatives and the United Nations to gauge the progress that was made within the framework of this Decade. This would have served to map out a strategic plan to carry forward the agenda of Indigenous Peoples worldwide.

However, rather than shelve the idea, an international Steering Committee of Indigenous Peoples together with the Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV) rallied indigenous leaders worldwide and garnered support from individual governments, funding agencies and NGOs and together sponsored this Indigenous Peoples Millenium Conference. This, entirely without the financial support of the United Nations, despite the fact that it was their Decade to review. One of the Steering Committee member organisations, Napguana, which is an Indigenous organisation from Panama, decided that it would host this important conference.

The deliberations at this conference will help clarify the position of Indigenous Peoples regarding: the United Nations' Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the upcoming UN World Conference on Racism, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, the Organisation of American States Declaration, and all of the many other areas of concern to the global Indigenous community. This Millennium Conference therefore carries the strong message that the Indigenous world will continue to advance and advocate the agenda of the Indigenous Peoples to achieve the full measure of their human rights within this Decade.

In his keynote address, the Director of Napguana, Nelson Deleon, who hails from the Indigenous Kuna people of Panama, said that "this is a historic moment for Indigenous Peoples worldwide, because it is of great significance to come together in this millenium to join forces for the recognition and protection of our rights, and to bring prosperity to our people, as well as to promote democracy and emphasize the ties of friendship that unite us historically."

Ms. Mililani Trask one of the Steering Committee members who represents the Pacific region, asserted that the success of this conference was a significant indication that indigenous peoples "will not be deterred in their pursuit of fundamental human rights".

However, the fact that a number of Indigenous individuals are still being held up on transit to Panama at various airports does cast somewhat of a shadow on the conference spirit. For example, one Indigenous woman delegate is still detained in Brussels -for the third day now - despite all guarantees that she will be granted entry into Panama. Nonetheless, they fear that she could be sent back and would then try and obtain refugee status in Belgium. Speaker after speaker voiced their great concern over the impasse and pointed out that it was this type of blatant discrimination and misuse of power that dehumanised Indigenous Peoples.
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Press events:
Members of the Press are invited to a press conference at the Gran Hotel Soloy at 13.00 on Tuesday the 8th, May 2001. Important leaders from indigenous peoples will be available for your questions

You are also invited to attend the final Plenary Session - where the results of the Conference will be presented -- on Friday the 11th of May, 2001, at 14.00 to 17.00. This will be followed by a Press Conference from 17.00 to 17.30

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 confernece and its topics can be found at:
www.nciv.net/millennium.htm

Conference secretariat:
Netherlands' Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV)
Postbus 98094, 1090 GB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel. (31) (20) 693 8625, Fax: (31) (20) 665 2818,
mc@nciv.antenna.nl

Enclosed:
An interview with the President of the Kuna Congress, Gilberto Arias.
Photos of the Opening Ceremony