Small Island Developing States: Last Day for Registration!

Dear colleagues,

The Third Conference on Small Island Developing States, taking place between 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa, is rapidly approaching.

Preceding the meeting, four Pre-Conference Forums will take place in select locations in Apia from 28-31 August 2014. The Pre-Conference Forums will be held outside of the UN security perimeter and therefore don’t require accreditation to the SIDS Conference. Further information on these activities is available on the SIDS website: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1567

Participation in the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Forum, which will take place on Thursday, 28 (evening) and Friday, 29 August 2014, is subject to registration. Today is the last day to register - if you are planning on attending, you must fill out this form. More information on the Forum can be found here.

We would also like to use this opportunity to remind representatives of organizations that are accredited with the United Nations and plan to attend the official Conference to register here. Conference registration for Major Groups and other stakeholders’ representatives will close on Monday, 4 August 2014.

Warm regards,
Ms. Martina Muller
Major Groups Program
Communications & Outreach - UN DESA/DSD

In Times Square, unions and activists preview climate march

By Conor Skelding

12:03 p.m. | Jul. 30, 2014

Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Taino) addresses rally on Climate Change in Times Square
Photo Credit: Diane Lent

Unions and activists groups rallied in Times Square on Wednesday morning to officially launch the People's Climate March, which organizers hope will be the largest climate-related march in history.

The march is set for September 21 in New York City, two days before a United Nations summit on climate change.

"It is our desire to combat climate change," said Christopher Erikson, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' Local Union No. 3.

"Our momentum must be governed in an orderly fashion, that provides sustainability for our goal of a livable planet, along with the security of a reliable electrical grid," he added. "We must weigh the effects of jobs on U.S. citizens."

The march was been backed by a broad array of progressive groups. Last week, two New York health care unions announced that they would encourage members to participate the march. Councilman Donovan Richards has also introduced a resolution asking the City Council to officially endorse the march.

The rally on Wednesday included remarks from representatives for the Transport Workers Union, 1199 SEIU, and 32BJ, among other unions and activist groups.

"Indigenous Peoples all over the world are on the front lines of climate change!" shouted Roberto Borrero (Taino) of the International Indian Treaty Council. "We are the canaries in the coal mine! We can see the melting of the glaciers! We can see the desertification in Africa! We can see the rising waters for Indigenous Peoples in the Pacific islands."

"We are glad to see that some of you are finally listening to the warnings that Indigenous Peoples have been shouting for 500 years now on this side of the world," he said.

"We will be here on September 21 to march along with you. Not behind you, but as equals!" he finished, before chants of "The people, united, will never be defeated!" began.

Source: Capital New York

Taino: We Are Still Here

This exhibition will be taking place next Saturday at the Mid-Hudson Heritage Center located at 317 Main Street, Poughkeepsie NY 12601! This event is free!

World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

Pre-Registration for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

Pre-registration is now OPEN for the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly, to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples which will take place on 22 September and on the afternoon of 23 September 2014 at UN Headquarters in New York. Please click here for more information.

The deadline to pre-register is: 23 July 2014

General Assembly Informal Consultations
 - World Conference on Indigenous Peoples -

Wednesday, 16 July and Monday, 18 August 2014
UN Headquarters, New York

Two informal consultations will be conducted by the President of the General Assembly. The first consultation will be held on Wednesday, 16 July, 2014 and will focus on the zero draft conference outcome document. A revised draft outcome document will be issued shortly after the consultation of that meeting and considered at a second and final consultation, on Monday, 18 August, 2014.

Pre-registration: Representatives of Indigenous Peoples who wish to attend the informal consultations, please inform the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at indigenous_un@un.org by Friday, 11 July for the first consultation and by Wednesday, 13 August for the second consultation. Please indicate the name of the organization, name of the representative and contacts including an email address.

To download the letter to Representatives of Indigenous Peoples please click here