Communique issued at the conclusion of the First Regional Conference on Reparations

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat
	Press release 201/2013 24 September 2013

On Sunday September 15th, the Caribbean Community opened the first Regional Reparations Conference at St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Victoria Park. The Conference was mandated by the historic, unanimous, decision of CARICOM Heads of Government in July, 2013, in Trinidad and Tobago. The Heads of Government also requested each CARICOM Member State to set up its own National Reparations Committee to document the effects of European genocide against the indigenous inhabitants of the region, the slave trade in and the enslavement of Africans, and the colonization of the country.

The evening began with the unprecedented singing of St. Vincent and the Grenadines' national anthem in both English and Garifuna. The huge gathering was welcomed by Mr. Jomo Thomas, Chair of the Reparations Committee of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Remarks were delivered by Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and by Hon. Stephen Lashley, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth of Barbados on behalf of Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. Freundel Stuart, who is also Chairman of the Regional Ministerial Committee on Reparations. Dr. Verene Shepherd, Chair of the Jamaican Reparations Committee, gave the keynote address in which she recited the names and ages of many of the victims of the atrocities committed by the Europeans during slavery. Dr. Shepherd also emphasized the underreported fact that African women were integrally involved in all aspects of the resistance to slavery. Between speakers there were poetry and drumming performances.
     
The evening ended with a sterling performance in support of reparations by the legendary artist and Grammy Award Winner Hon. Bunny Wailer and his band who embodied the slogan "Culture as a Weapon."  Bunny’s repertoire comprised of a number of songs that sunk home the message of the plight of the black man suffering under colonial domination in a foreign land.

The second day of the conference started with a historical review of enslavement in the Caribbean by Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, a leading historian on the issue of Slavery and Reparations and Principal of the UWI Campus at Cave Hill in Barbados. Dr. Beckles framed the task ahead by highlighting several issues discussed in his book "Britain's Black Debt".  Dr. Beckles mentioned the importance of including the diaspora in rectifying the effects of the European slave trade in Africans. Dr. Beckles was able to bring out the dehumanization as well as the criminal actions of those involved in Slavery in the Caribbean.  What became clear was the horrifying reality of the trade in Africans and further, their enslavement in the Caribbean. It was noted by Dr. Beckles that upon the abolition of slavery, European slave owners were paid reparations while nothing was paid to the newly freed. 

Presenters from various countries described the composition of reparations committees in their home countries, and the state of public opinion on the issue.  Some key areas covered related to the middle passage, deportation, wealth generated through slavery, and the depopulation and underdevelopment of Africa and the Caribbean as a result of enslavement.

It was mentioned that CARICOM should mandate reparations education in schools' curriculum.  Recognition was also given to past reparations initiatives, such as the work done by the Rastafari Movement and some major reparations conferences that have occurred in Nigeria, Washington DC, and Barbados.

On the third and final day of the Conference, a structure was proposed for the regional Commission. It was agreed that the body would be led by a Chairman and three Vice Chairs with responsibility for certain key tasks. Professor Hilary Beckles was elected as Chairperson of the CARICOM Regional Reparations Commission. Vice Chairs are Jomo Thomas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines ( responsible for inter-governmental relations), Dr. Verene Shepherd, Jamaica ( research), and Ahmad Zunder, Suriname, (mobilization).

The CARICOM Reparations Commission was constituted to achieve the following aims and objectives:

• Establish the moral, ethical and legal case for the payment of Reparations by the Governments of all the former colonial powers and the relevant institutions in those countries, to the nations and people of the Caribbean Community for the Crimes against Humanity of Native Genocide, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a racialised system of chattel Slavery;

• Advise and make recommendations for coordinated CARICOM action by the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Reparations;

• Coordinate and support the work of National Reparations Commissions and Task Forces and encourage the development of Commissions in those countries that have not yet established national bodies;

• Receive reports from National Reparations Commissions;

• Develop and implement a regional strategy to pursue Reparations, including the following actions:
• Coordinate and/or undertake relevant historical research at the national, regional and international levels;
• Coordinate and/or undertake legal research to inform case preparation and litigation strategies;
• Coordinate national and regional public education campaigns;
• Coordinate and/or conduct national and regional public consultations on Reparations;
• Develop and recommend diplomatic strategies to advance the case for Reparations in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, African Union, CELAC and with other supportive governments;
• Identify and recommend the appointment of eminent spokespersons and champions for the cause of Reparations among artists, attorneys, scholars, indigenous peoples, Rastafarians, youth, women and politicians;
• Engaging and partnering with national and regional civil society organizations involved in the Reparations Movement, especially the Rastafarian and Pan Africanist formations of the Caribbean;

• Develop and recommend decisive political action at the national and regional levels through Parliamentary debates and resolutions and national, regional and international popular mobilization;

• Conduct consultations to develop proposals on appropriate forms of redress through reparative programmes and projects;

• Coordinate and/or undertake the preparation of a detailed brief on the cost of the damages and current manifestations of such damage on indigenous people and their descendants and on enslaved Africans and their descendants, in the following and other relevant areas:
• Economic (including land deprivation)
• Social, Cultural and Psychological
• Spiritual and Religious
• Demographic
• Medical
• Educational  

Assume the responsibility for the preparation and presentation of the legal case for Reparations and highlight the special case of Reparations for Haiti;

Serve as a quick response mechanism and develop a pro-active media campaign to raise public awareness and canvas support.

There were also presentations and discussions  on legal strategies for a successful reparations claim.  The legal presentation was done by the UK law firm of Leigh Day & Co. and it was evident that this effort would require a regional consortium of experts in law, research and academia. It was also emphasized that any legal effort must be coupled with the mobilization of our people and an intensification of the political and diplomatic outreach that has already begun.

It should also be noted that in addition to the governmental deliberation and decisions, the representatives of civil society organizations held their own caucus and made the historic decision to establish a Pan-Caribbean Civil Society Reparations Network.  The network was mandated to mobilize the Caribbean people in support of the quest for reparations, and to collaborate with and support the work of the National Reparations Committees and the CARICOM Regional Commission.

Participants considered that the conference was the first step in a series of conferences and workshops that were necessary to continue the reparations effort. It was agreed that a website should be created as a focal point for ensuring that information on the work of the Regional Commission and national committees/task forces was made readily available. It was further agreed that national committees/task forces would create facebook pages to highlight the progress of their work.

The Conference ended with a resolve to have a second follow-up conference within a reasonable time-frame to ensure that the momentum started in St. Vincent and the Grenadines could be accelerated.

What was absolutely clear was that not since the Caribbean struggles for independence has the Region embarked on a journey of such magnitude and import for the future development of the people and region!

As we go forward, local committees have been urged to start the education and mobilization process in their own countries. For those who have not yet set up reparations committees they are being urged to do so quickly and to lean on the experiences of those who have already done so in the interest of efficiency and speed.

The Prime Ministerial Committee on reparations will quickly ratify the terms of reference adopted by the Regional Reparations Commission so that this commission can move ahead with the task that has been set before it.

It is hoped that the work in all countries would be advanced enough by the end of this year to enable a letter to be sent to the European countries being targeted for reparations to at least seek to begin a conversation on the issue with them.

The Conference had representatives from 12 CARICOM countries namely: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. There were also representatives from Guadeloupe, Martinique, US Virgin Islands, the UK, Canada, the United States and the Netherlands.  

CARICOM SG: Chavez a true friend of Caribbean Community

CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana - Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has described the late President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez as a “true friend” of the Community.

In a message of condolence to the Government of Venezuela, the Secretary-General said that the late President Chavez, who died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer, “demonstrated solidarity with the Governments and People of the Caribbean Community throughout his tenure and created avenues for co-operation and strengthening relations with the Governments and improving the lives of the people.”

President Chavez with Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
photo by Jamaica Gleaner

Following is the full text of the Secretary-General’s message:

“It is with deep sadness that the Caribbean Community has learnt of the passing of a true friend, His Excellency Hugo Chavez, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

President Chavez demonstrated solidarity with the Governments and People of the Caribbean Community throughout his tenure and created avenues for co-operation and strengthening relations with the Governments and improving the lives of the people.

His vision of bringing together the people of Latin America and the Caribbean was driven by his deep sense of concern for the well-being of the disadvantaged in society, not only in his own country but in the wider region.

His struggle with the disease that finally claimed his life epitomised the heart and spirit which he brought to bear in his attempts to raise the standard of living of the less fortunate in his homeland, in the Caribbean and the wider region.

I extend, on my own behalf and on that of the Caribbean Community, deepest condolences to the family of President Chavez and to the Government and People of Venezuela. I am confident that the strength and spirit of the Venezuelan people, so strikingly exemplified by President Chavez, will sustain the country in its time of grief.

May he rest in peace.”

Source: Overseas Review

Negotiations Continue on American Indigenous Rights Declaration

WASHINGTON D.C. (UCTP Taino News) — Indigenous leaders from throughout the Americas gathered in in Washington DC this week to participate in the negotiations on an American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The proposed legal framework focuses on the protection of the economic, cultural, and political rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The meetings took place from Nov. 30 - December 2, 2009 at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS). The OAS is a regional inter-governmental organization that seeks to build peace, solidarity and collaboration in the Americas.


“This work needs to be completed,” said Armstrong Wiggins, director of the Indian Law Resource Center’s Washington office. “The declaration is not yet adopted, and I fear it could become an orphan if states do not act more seriously on it.”

Damon Corrie, an Arawak activist from Barbados agrees. Corrie and other Caribbean indigenous delegates from Dominica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent, and Suriname continue to be concerned about the lack of participation from CARICOM governments within these important negotiations.

“The only CARICOM member State showing any interest in this process is the Republic of Guyana” noted Corrie. “This process will have a tremendous impact on whether future relations between Indigenous Peoples and political states will be equitable and harmonious or unjust and adversarial.”

According to a recent press release from the Indian Law Resource Center (ILRC), this dialogue comes as global initiatives are threatening indigenous rights. The World Bank and United Nations for example have funded several projects that are designed to provide climate change solutions but instead could harm indigenous communities if developed on their lands and territories. These projects could lead to violations of indigenous peoples’ land and natural resources rights.

The ILRC and other participating organizations assert that the declaration would address these threats and establish a legal framework to protect indigenous rights from potential violations.

UCTPTN 12.02.2009

OAS Still Negotiating Indigenous Rights Declaration

UCTP Taino News – The Organization of American States (OAS) will host the Eleventh Meeting of the Working Group to Prepare the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Washington, DC on April 14-18, 2008. Among those who have confirmed attendance at the meeting are Caribbean Indigenous representatives, Chief Charles Williams (Kalinago) of Dominica and Mr. Oswald Robinson (Garifuna) of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A delegation representing the United Confederation of Taino People will also attend.

Like the recently adopted United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the OAS draft Declaration is not a Covenant under international law that will legally bind the signatories to any action. These legal documents however are still important as "standard-setting" with regard to indigenous rights. Recently, the UN Declaration was cited in a Belize Supreme Court decision in favor of the local Maya community.

“In some countries this developing OAS instrument has the potential to be a substantial and wide-reaching improvement on the existing rights found in national legislation” said Hereditary Lokono Eagle Clan Chief Damon Corrie a regular participant of the negotiations.

Corrie continued stating that “The OAS draft Declaration deserves the attention of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas as well as governments especially the CARICOM governments who are not normally in attendance at these meetings.”

The Organization of American States (OAS) is an inter-governmental organization that brings together the countries of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance common interests. It is the region’s premier forum for multilateral dialogue among governments and for their concerted action.

UCTPTN 04.03.2008

Editorial: Crises in Guyana - The Exploitation of Amerindian Children

The exploitation of our Children by Barama's employees or by others is a national disgrace that further tarnishes the international image of Guyana.

In a recent letter in Kaieteur News (13th Jan, 2007, Titled: `Protect the children of Guyana from Predators'), I had written: "The children of any nation are its most prized possessions/assets. It is therefore every citizen/parent's responsibility to do everything possible to protect our children from danger." That letter was written in the hope that Guyana would take precautions to avoid one of the most undesirable evils of the tourist traffic, that is, the sexual exploitation of our children. Little did I realize that my warning was already too late for some of our most vulnerable children in Guyana.

Dr Gail Whiteman in her Chapter ((11, pages 180 to 204)titled: "Forestry, Gold Mining and Amerindians: The Troubling Example of Samling in Guyana" (in "International businesses and the challenges of poverty in the developing world." Edited by Bird, Frederick B., and Herman, Stewart W. Published by Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hamshire (England); New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2004. ISBN 1403921288)) wrote (page 190):

"Direct impacts of Barama (Samling is the parent Company of Barama).

Interviews indicate that the economic benefits for local Amerindians from large-scale forestry were not significant…Moreover, despite community expectations of improved health care, as reported in the Edinburgh Centre for Tropical Forests (ECTF) study, the health situation for Amerindians in Region 1 has remained problematic.

Amerindians also continue to lack proper education facilities. While Port Kaituma did have a school and Amerindian teachers, they were poorly paid and under-utilized. Social problems related to the alleged sexual exploitation of young Amerindian girls by Barama employees also were reported in interviews: `It happened in this community, not with mining but with the Barama Company. They take the young girls and stay over night and bring them back to school.' `I heard that they take rude pictures…'`It's true. It's the Malaysians [from Barama] that do these things… The young girls are kicked out of school… These Malaysians take these young Amerindian girls and leave them pregnant.'"

These actions make a bad situation even worse: Dr. G. Whiteman wrote: - "Extreme poverty follows ethnic heritage, Amerindians being by far the poorest; 88 per cent of Guyana's Amerindians live below the poverty line. In Region 1, the focus of this study, 95 per cent of local Amerindians live in extreme poverty (IMF, 2000). The majority of the Amerindians is illiterate and has limited access to higher education (Government of Guyana, 1996). Amerindian women are particularly susceptible to the impacts of poverty. A report commissioned by the National Commission on Women in Guyana identified Amerindian women as one of the most economically, socially, politically and culturally marginalized groups in Guyana (National Commission on Women, 2001)."

In addition, The Guyana Human Rights Association's (GHRA) reports called "Without Conviction," and its most recent study titled: "Getting Serious: Detecting and Protecting Against crimes of sexual violence in Guyana" revealed that sexual violence against girls is most prevalent among girls under 16 years, and that young Amerindian girls between ages 12 and 16 years are the most vulnerable in the country, especially in Region 1 (with the most reported cases). (That is, sexual violence highest against girls 12 to 16 years - GHRA study finds – is about 3-fold higher in Amerindian Girls of Region 1. Thursday, March 8th 2007, SN)

In the Western hemisphere, if an employee is sexually harassed at the work place, the employer can be held legally responsible. How can Barama not know that children were being exploited by its imported foreign workers? If the company's executives do not know that their employees are breaking the laws of Guyana, then is it not fair to ask what other illegalities they do not know about in their business operations? If they do know what are going on their company's premises, then why were/are these legal, ethical, and internationally abhorrent and illegal practices not stopped? Why are the Barama Company and its executives not being held responsible for violations by their employees of Guyanese law? Why are Barama's employees allowed to violate the most sacred laws of any modern country - the sexual and physical abuse of its children?

In addition, these are clear violations of the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) principles: For example - Principle #1: Compliance with Laws and FSC principles: Forest management shall respect all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all FSC Principles and Criteria. (Guyana is a signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), and therefore, Guyana also has an international obligation to take preventative action in regard to preventing the abuse and exploitation of its children.)

Secondly, FSC Principle #4: Community relations and workers' rights. Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well being of forest workers and local communities. How do the abuse and sexual exploitation of local Guyanese children, build community relations? Is this not the beginning of a most destructive cycle of our children?

From the abovementioned research of Dr Gail Whiteman and recent revelations in the local press, not only does Barama Company Ltd exploit the forests, but its employees exploit our children for their gratification and entertainment – leaving the devastating social and health consequences, personal tragedies, etc. for this impoverished nation to correct. What kind of a nation is Guyana that allows this to happen in this day and age? Have we sunk so low that we cannot even protect our children from predators?

I remember reading (during my childhood days) some work of Dr. C. Jagan, where he mentioned that the "Indian women/indentured servants" were good enough to be used to warm the beds/bodies of the plantation overseers, but were not good enough to be made wives or given legal standings. The situation is worse here, these are children being used, abused, and discarded. How can this be right? I cannot see how the late Dr. C. Jagan, Hon Ms. Janet Jagan, and the PPP of yesteryear would condone these current violations of our children, especially when they stood up so valiantly on the side of the victims of abuse in the aftermath of the Rupununi Uprising. In my humble opinion, that was one of their finest hours of the PPP of yesteryear. They always stood up for the underprivileged and the downtrodden. Where is the PPP of today, and why does it fail to address these issues? The allowing of this disgraceful exploitation of children will probably be recorded as one of the current PPP Govt.'s most shameful acts.

Similarly, previously the female slaves were called in to gratify the sexual lusts and pleasures of their owners, and then discarded. Today, we rightly condemned these heinous acts of yesteryear, why are our voices silent now on the current acts of evil? Should our voices not be raised in protest? We proudly claim our ancestry to those who fought the battles of yesteryear, but are silent and/or ignore the battles against the injustices of our own time. Where are the voices of protest by the current PNC? Where are the young vibrant voices of the GYSM? Are the exploited children (Amerindian) not youths and students? Or is that they are now being viewed as Children of a lesser god like our own ancestral mothers?

Dr Gail Whiteman's work continues to document the abuse, exploitation, degradation, and impoverishment of Guyanese women and children with impunity (by foresters and miners) in their own country. Her work supports and extends the findings of Dr Marcus Colchester. It is a must read for all Guyanese who should know what is going on in their home country. I can quote more of this work, but the readings are so depressing that it may not be suitable for a family newspaper. We might be too embarrassed to hear the questions of our children – e.g. Daddy/Mommy, how can we allow this to happen here?

If we cannot find common ground and speak up for vulnerable children, then we are not worthy of being a nation and deserve the disrespect we get from our own Caricom community brethren and also from the International Community. I expect that all the various groups that speak for children to take up this challenge and speak out. We can no longer be silent. I also expect all those (local and foreign) organizations and individuals who support SN in its struggles to also do the same for even more vulnerable victims - children. Our leaders are busy fighting for power, and in the mean time our resources and children are being plundered and ravaged!

This is a human rights issue - the abuse and exploitation of Children. Our religious groups (Churches, Mosques, Temples), Civil Rights groups, Human Rights groups, Lawyers, Judiciary, Parents, Students, Labour leaders, Citizens, etc., should all protest against the exploitation of our children in our own country. These perpetrators should feel the full force of the law. The officials who should be aware of this and have done nothing should also be charged with negligence or dereliction of duty. The sign must be up that no one is allowed to exploit any of our children anywhere in this country!

Dr. Bertrand Ramcharran (Chancellor of the University of Guyana) is a distinguished Human Rights scholar on the world stage (United Nations). We hope that Dr B Ramcharran tells the Guyana Govt. that Guyana must respect the human rights conventions that were signed – in this case, the Rights of the Child (ROC). We hope that the Foreign Embassies and Consulates, and UN agencies also remind the Guyana Govt. of its international obligations. The care of our children (and all the children of the world) is a sacred responsibility of any society and all humanity.

Seelochan Beharry
7th March, 2007

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Important health warning

Dear Sir:

I just want to transmit to the people of CARICOM what I just saw on the American ABC news at 8.19am on Thursday, February 15, 2007. There is a very bad batch of Peter Pan brand name peanut butter in circulation that starts with the product code 2111 (read the label to find it); it has caused over 300 Americans to contract salmonella poisoning already.

It is a popular brand in most CARICOM countries (and the ONLY brand I see in the interior communities of Guyana) - readers please take the time to check for the 2111 product code and avoid purchasing any jars of Peter Pan brand peanut butter with this code; and go a step further and ask the store manager to remove all the jars of this infected batch from the store shelves, some unsuspecting person will undoubtedly purchase and consume some and become violently ill.

Bear in mind that whenever the developed countries have products they cannot legally sell in their own borders - they tend to end up being sold to our developing countries (DDT ring a bell?); the unscrupulous will not lose money - they just sell their products to others.

God willing, the editors of CARICOM newspapers who are reading this will exert some influence on the various ministries of health in CARICOM and urge the ministers to sieze and remove the infected jars with the 2111 product code. I have seen Amerindian children die of severe diarrhoea in my lifetime in a community that had a health centre - what about the thousands of other poor communities of all races where no such facilities exist? If even one person dies because those who could have done something chose to do nothing, we can consider ourselves to be members of a 'humanity' that is devoid of 'human beings'.

Damon Gerard Corrie

Editor's note: For the guidance of readers, the following wire service report on this topic was released on Thursday:

Hundreds sickened by peanut butter

WASHINGTON, USA (UPI) -- The US Food and Drug Administration has warned that certain batches of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter had been linked to a salmonella outbreak.

An FDA warning affects jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with a product code on the lid that begins with the number "2111." Both products are manufactured at a ConAgra facility in Georgia.

In a release, the agency said the warning is based on a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that linked 288 cases of food borne illness in 39 states to Peter Pan peanut butter.

The agency said that if consumers have any of the Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter in their home that has been purchased since May 2006, they should discard it. ConAgra has recalled the peanut butter.

Symptoms of illness caused by salmonella bacteria include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The illness can be life-threatening to people in poor health or with weakened immune systems.

Some western countries endorsing obscuring of UN Indigenous Rights declaration -GOIP

The Guyana Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) says, in a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo, that interpretations of sections of the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as distinct from the whole is leading to negative interpretations in some African and Caribbean states.

According to the letter, signed by GOIP secretary Percy Peneux, the declaration, adopted by the UN Human Rights council in June 2006, is "a long-overdue affirmation of the minimum international standards needed to uphold the human rights of Indigenous Peoples" in Guyana. It is based on core international principles and values that embraces tolerance, peace and respect for the dignity of all cultures and peoples and, consistent with the UN Charter, it requires that the "human rights and freedoms of all shall be respected." The organisation said it has been alerted that a small number of African and Caribbean states have been encouraged by a few Western States: Aotearoa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States, to interpret the declaration in an erroneous way. Each provision of the declaration cannot be read as a separate fragment but should be interpreted in a holistic manner as to do otherwise could lead to extremist and absolute interpretations that could not be justified under the declaration or international human rights law as a whole.

The GOIP said the negative interpretations have recently led to a General Assembly resolution to defer action on the adoption of the declaration which authorises "time for further consultations." In response to this resolution, the GOIP said, "It is our sincere desire that your Administration recommend that these "consultations" should not be converted into a working group or any other process that fails to preserve the text of the Declaration" as adopted by the council in 2006.

The GOIP said the declaration is described as a "standard of achievement to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect". It does not create new rights but elaborates on existing human rights and standards as they apply to indigenous peoples. The organisation said it agrees with the Indigenous People's Caucus which in a recent statement submitted to the president of the General Assembly, said the key purpose of "consultations" is to bridge understanding, especially for those countries who chose not to participate in the "standard-setting process" that took place over 20 years.

The organisation said in the Indigenous global context, the declaration is an essential complement to the survival, dignity and well-being of the world's indigenous peoples and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. GOIP calls on the government to join with sister Caricom states Dominica and Haiti and in urging the General Assembly to adopt the declaration as soon as possible.

Source: Starbroek News, 15 February

Editorial: Political Intrigue at the OAS

By Damon Gerard Corrie

I am writing once again from the Organization of American States (OAS) Headquarters in Washington DC, USA to inform your readers of the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the 9th session of the working group to prepare the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I am a member of the Indigenous Caucus working group.

Once again no CARICOM member state OAS ambassador (or even low level diplomatic representative) was present at the opening ceremony yesterday, in comparison all of the OAS ambassadors from the Latin American member states as well as USA and Canada were present as usual.

For the afternoon session, I was pleased to see a representative of the OAS diplomatic corps from Guyana was in attendance, I can only hope the rest of CARICOM will follow this lead and take an active interest in the proceedings. We could use the staunch and admirable support that Dominica and Haiti have shown at the United Nations Declaration process here at the OAS.

Once again, the representatives of the USA and Canada appear to be using the same semantic arguments and delaying tactics to stymie progress the Indigenous Caucus is attempting to make with the enthusiastic support of Bolivia and Brazil among many others.

The USA and Canada are abusing the 'consensus' system of voting that the OAS employs. From an “outsiders” point of view I personally was shocked to see on dozens of occasions that the Indigenous Caucus would have the support of all present OAS ambassadors but because the USA or Canada did not support an issue it was not passed.

I find it bewildering that the two countries that love to promote 'Democracy' all over the world, literally shoving it down other peoples throats at times, would themselves sabotage the very democratic process at the OAS. I was under the distinct impression that the majority vote ensured success in the democratic system; that being the case it is clear to me that there is no democracy at the OAS. It seems that unless certain countries get their way ad-infinitum, no-one can expect to achieve anything.

It is an awful thing to say about a system that is supposedly concerned with the rights of indigenous peoples but this is a disgustingly corrupt modus-operandi that is in urgent need of redress.


Photo courtesy National Museum of the American Indian/Katherine Fogden -- About 50 delegates of the Indigenous Rights Caucus of the Organization of American States toured the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on Jan. 21. They were in Washington, D.C., to meet about the Universal Declaration of Indigenous Rights.

Editorial: The OAS & CARICOM: Missing in Action*

In prior negotiations with the Organization of American State (OAS) on the draft American Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the United States has usually stood alone in its opposition to the advocacy efforts of the Indigenous Caucus. It was sad to see at the recent 8th session on the elaboration of the Declaration that the USA is now playing 'second fiddle' to the delegation of Canada (led by Mr. Paul Gibbard) who now have become the most strident opponents facing the Indigenous Caucus.

I must also take this opportunity to again highlight the fact that despite all of their flowery rhetoric (usually around election time) citing 'deep concern for their Amerindian citizens' - not a single CARICOM government representative participated during the 8th session, which was held in the Simon Bolivar Room at the OAS Headquarters in Washington DC. Caribbean government representatives were in the OAS building however, and I made notes of the times I saw various CARICOM delegates entering and leaving the building, having lunch at the OAS cafe etc.

Seems it was too much trouble to expect them to fill their seats like other OAS member States who were with us every day proving that actions do speak louder than words. I applaud the Latin American countries who were the staunchest allies of the Indigenous Caucus yet again.

At the very least I expected to see Guyana, Suriname, Belize, Dominica and Trinidad represented officially, for they all use the Amerindian component of “their” societies to promote various national tourism efforts. It is interesting to note however that here, amidst a discussion on an issue of the direst importance to the present and future generations of their “beloved” Amerindian populations - they show no interest in the process whatsoever.

This is an unfortunate but very revealing development indeed, especially when less than one month ago with the exception of Dominica, these same CARICOM States helped to essentially block the passage of the most important Indigenous Rights Declaration in the history of the United Nations. These states mimicked the clearly dishonest argument that African states flaunted, which was that 'they needed more time to review the Declaration". Let us all bear in mind that this Declaration process at the UN has been in existence for over 20 years!

With that in mind, Indigenous Peoples rigthtly ask 'What is it exactly that the CARICOM diplomats do besides draw large salaries from the taxpayers and live in luxury abroad?' Please give us an answer as it relates to the Indigenous Peoples on whose lands your Neo-Colonial States exist.

Submitted by Damon Gerard Corrie (Lokono Arawak)
Member of the Indigenous Caucus working Group
on the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.

*The Caribbean Community and Common Market or CARICOM was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas[8] which came into effect on August 1, 1973. The first four signatories were Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Indigenous Rights Struggle Continues at the UN

UCTP Taino News – Following adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the newly established United Nations Human Rights Council, a handful of Nations continue to attempt to stand in the way of the document’s final ratification by the 192-member General Assembly.

During this month’s meetings of the General Assembly’s Third Committee a scathing statement against the Declaration was presented by the government of New Zealand in a joint intervention with the United States of America and Australia.

The statement has been described as a desperate attempt at “fear-mongering” by some indigenous leaders attending the current session of the General Assembly.

Despite the remarks presented by New Zealand, Indigenous Peoples around the world remain confident of the General Assembly’s passage of this non-legally binding human rights instrument, which was been debated in the halls of the United Nations for twenty years.

“The Declaration has unwavering support of many countries with large indigenous populations such as Mexico, Peru, Boliva, Guatemala and the Nordic countries” stated Roberto Mucaro Borrero, a representative of the United Confederation of Taino People who was at the UN lobbying various country representatives. “These governments, along with United Nations Agency representatives have been actively working toward alleviating any concerns some may have had about the text.”

“From the European Union to CARICOM, UN Member-States continue to express their support for the declaration and that is indeed very positive” added Borrero.

Enrique Berruga, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.N. agreed stating “We expect the declaration would be adopted with consensus for sure… it has been discussed long enough. It is high time for it to be adopted."

Indigenous Peoples in the UN halls lobbying for the Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: From left,
Roberto Mucaro Borrero with Mainaku Borrero,
Jose Carlos Morales (Costa Rica), and
Adelfo Regino Montes (Mexico)

CARICOM STATEMENT AT UNITED NATIONS

UCTP Taino News - DINA SHOMAN (Belize), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the Second International Decade of Indigenous People had brought the situation of indigenous people onto the international agenda and had resulted in growing awareness of the obstacles they faced in preserving their cultures, livelihoods, and communities. One of the greatest achievements of the Decade had been the establishment of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which was a valuable meeting point between States, indigenous organizations and the United Nations system and other inter-governmental bodies. The Forum could play an important role in facilitating development initiatives for indigenous people of the Caribbean region, including through advocacy for greater coordination of efforts of United Nations agencies and by encouraging those agencies to help collect reliable data on indigenous people of the region so that their problems could be more precisely addressed.

Acknowledging important advances made during the first Decade, she also recalled the High Commissioner’s report pointing out that indigenous peoples in many countries continued to be among the poorest and most marginalized. Much remained to be done to protect them from human rights violations, to alleviate the poverty they faced, and to safeguard against discrimination.

CARICOM noted that after almost two decades of debate, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples had been adopted by the Human Rights Council with a view to being adopted by the General Assembly during this sixty-first session.

UCTPTN 10.18.2006