The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has initiated the preparation of her next thematic report on criminalisation and attacks against indigenous peoples defending their rights under human rights treaties and the United Nations Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. The report will specifically consider the collective impact on indigenous communities and consider the design of prevention and protection measures. This report will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2018.
Washington, D.C. - The Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Antonia Urrejola, together with the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, express their concern at the approval of Law No. 30723, "Law that declares the construction of highways in frontier areas and the maintenance of highways in the Department of Ucayali as a priority and national interest". The Rapporteurs consider that its implementation would affect protected natural areas, indigenous reserves, and territorial reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact.
GENEVA (30 January 2018) – A US presidential order slashing the area of land in the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah and paving the way for the extraction of natural resources is outrageous and should be reversed, a UN human rights expert has said.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said the US Government should be stepping up protection of sacred areas, not reducing protection.
"It is outrageous to witness the dismantling of the Bears Ears National Monument, in what constitutes a serious attack on indigenous peoples' rights in the United States," said Tauli-Corpuz.
As of 2 February 2018, the land will be open to projects that may cause irreparable damage such as oil and gas drilling, uranium and potash mining and mineral exploration. "Native American sacred lands and artefacts that were once protected may also be subjected to vandalism and looting," the expert said.
By Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Pope's visit allows these communities to have their voices heard and their struggle better understood.
This week, Pope Francis will meet with indigenous peoples in Peru and Chile contending with poverty, conflict, discrimination, and environmental destruction.
They hope the Pope, who has been a powerful ally to the world's indigenous peoples, will amplify their message that to overcome these struggles, governments and corporations must respect their rights to the lands and forests that have sustained them for generations.
Francis, the first Pontiff in history to hail from Latin America, made history last year when he called for the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands and their right to free, prior, and informed consent.
GENEVA (15 January 2018) – Three independent experts* appointed by the UN have expressed concerns about recent reports that indigenous Sengwer peoples in western Kenya have been attacked and forcibly evicted from their homes as a result of the implementation of the Water Towers Protection and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation project, an EU-funded water management project.
"The Sengwer are facing repeated attacks and forced evictions by agents of the Kenya Forest Service, which is an implementing agency in the project financed by the European Union," the experts said.
On 25 December 2017, more than 100 armed Forest Service guards entered the traditional lands of the Sengwer in the Embobut Forest, firing gunshots, burning at least 15 homes and killing their livestock.
GENEVA (27 December 2017) – The ongoing militarization of Mindanao in the Philippines is having a massive and potentially irreversible impact on the human rights of some of the island's indigenous Lumad communities, UN experts* have warned.
"Thousands of Lumads have already been forcibly displaced by the conflict and have seen their houses and livelihoods destroyed," the Special Rapporteurs said.
"They are suffering massive abuses of their human rights, some of which are potentially irreversible. We fear the situation could deteriorate further if the extension of martial law until the end of 2018 results in even greater militarization.
"We urge the Philippines to observe its obligations under international law to protect the human rights of indigenous peoples, including in the context of armed conflict. The authorities must ensure that all human rights abuses are halted and that there is justice and accountability for past attacks.
"This includes killings and attacks allegedly carried out by members of the armed forces against the indigenous communities," they added.
GENEVA (20 December 2017) – A new law promoting road-building in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon would impact indigenous territories and threaten the very survival of the peoples living there, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, has warned.
The bill, awaiting presidential approval after being adopted by Congress, would permit road construction and trail conservation in the Ucayali region, affecting indigenous peoples, including groups living on the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti territorial reserve.
"This law could have irreversible consequences for the survival of these groups, whose isolation places them at higher risk of impacts on their human rights," said Ms. Tauli-Corpuz.
"Past experiences in which road construction or similar activities led to forced contact have generated irreversible impacts, such as the physical and cultural extermination of indigenous peoples in isolation, owing to factors such as their immunological weakness.
"I urge the Government, before the final approval of this bill, to engage in a broader debate to consider alternatives and take into account the impact that this project would have on the human rights of the people living in this area."
Presentation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the ICCA Consortium General Assembly 2017
Thank you for inviting me to speak in your General Assembly. I have to apologize, however, because I cannot be present with you today because ì am doing my country mission to Mexico.
You asked me to speak about my mandate as the Special Rapporteur. I was appointed to this post by the Human Rights Council in June 2014 and I ended my first term in June 2017. However, my term was extended to another 3 years so this will end in 2020. In terms of the mandate defined by the Human Rights Council these are the following;
Ciudad de México, 01 de diciembre de 2017.- La Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ONU-DH) expresa su profunda preocupación por las más de 4000 personas desplazadas de manera forzosa que enfrentan una situación insostenible en los municipios de Chenalhó y Chalchihuitán, como consecuencia de un conflicto histórico limítrofe entre las comunidades de ambos municipios. Varias de las personas desplazadas, muchas de ellas en una situación particular de vulnerabilidad (niños, niñas, personas mayores y mujeres embarazadas) han sido forzadas a enfrentar condiciones precarias e inhumanas, incluyendo la falta de condiciones adecuadas de salud, la ausencia de un lugar de refugio adecuado y poco o nulo acceso al agua o a la alimentación, además de encontrarse en una situación continua de inseguridad.
[Ciudad de México, 17 noviembre 2017] La Relatora Especial de la ONU sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, urgió a México a alcanzar una relación igualitaria y respetuosa con los pueblos indígenas para terminar con un "serio patrón" de abusos de derechos humanos.
"A medida que integrantes de pueblos indígenas iban compartiendo conmigo sus problemas y sus historias, pude reconocer un serio patrón de exclusión y discriminación, que a su vez se refleja en la falta de acceso a la justicia, entre otras violaciones de derechos humanos", apuntó la experta, en una declaración que dictó hoy en la sede de la ONU en México.
Su declaración de cierre de misión incluye hallazgos preliminares y expresa preocupaciones en un amplio rango de problemáticas entre las que se incluyen: tierras y territorios, autonomía, auto-determinación y participación política, auto-adscripción, violencia, impunidad y acceso a la justicia.
Declaración de cierre de misión Relatora Especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
Ciudad de México, 17 de noviembre 2017
"El objetivo de mi visita era doble: examinar la implementación de las recomendaciones realizadas por mi predecesor el Relator Especial Rodolfo Stavenhagen en 2003, y evaluar cómo México ha incorporado sus compromisos internacionales de derechos humanos en relación con los pueblos indígenas."
GENEVA (3 November 2017) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, will carry out an official visit to Mexico from 8 to 17 November.
During her visit, Ms Tauli-Corpuz will examine diverse issues affecting indigenous peoples, including land tenure, mega-projects, political participation, access to justice, and economic, social and cultural affairs.
"I will explore the consultations undertaken to seek the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples before any project affecting their lands or territories or resources is approved," said the Special Rapporteur.
"I will also seek further information on reports that indigenous rights defenders are being threatened and criminalized, and I will study the protection measures available for leaders and communities at risk."
During her 10-day mission, Ms Tauli-Corpuz will visit Mexico City, Guerrero, Chihuahua and Chiapas, and will hold meetings with state and federal authorities, as well as with indigenous and civil society organizations working for the rights of indigenous peoples. She will also visit indigenous communities to hear directly from them about their priorities and concerns.
Presentation by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz for the
Focal Point Meeting of the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
New York, 15 and 16 October 2017
Introduction
Good afternoon, I am Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. I again would like to thank all the organizers of this event for your invitation to take part in this important panel about the current challenges in matters of mass atrocity prevention in Latin America.
As I mentioned this morning, my mandate consists primarily of examining the obstacles, challenges, barriers and good practices that exist with regards to the enjoyment of indigenous peoples' rights. My work is guided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) and other relevant international instruments for the advancement of indigenous peoples' rights. [1]
Statement of Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Seventy-second session of the General Assembly
Item 70(a): Rights of indigenous peoples
New York 12 October 2017
Mr. Chair, Distinguished delegates, indigenous peoples' representatives Ladies and gentlemen,
In the thematic report which I am presenting today (A/72/186), I examine the progress made in the last decade to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption the Declaration in the General Assembly.
GENEVA (6 October 2017) - UN experts* are urging Chile not to prosecute Mapuche indigenous peoples under the country's anti-terrorism legislation.
The call comes ahead of a hearing in the case of a group of four Mapuche community members who were arrested in June 2016 on charges of arson, and have remained in custody since then on pre-trial detention orders issued under the anti-terrorism law.
"The charges against these men should urgently be reviewed and they should be afforded the fair trial guarantees they would receive under the ordinary justice system," the experts said.
"These members of an indigenous community have been deprived of their liberty for 16 months. The anti-terrorism law does not offer the necessary guarantees for a fair trial, and its use risks the stigmatization of the indigenous community. It also puts in doubt the suspects' right to be presumed innocent."
They added: "We urge Chile to refrain from using the anti-terrorism law to deal with events that occurred in the context of social protests by Mapuche peoples seeking to claim their rights."
The experts also stressed that legislation against terrorism had to be precisely worded to ensure that it applied only to situations that truly threatened national security.
Statement of Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz Special Rapporteur on the Rights of indigenous peoples
Human Rights Council 36th Session
Geneva, 20 September 2017
Mr. President, Distinguished delegates, Indigenous Peoples' Representatives Ladies and gentlemen,
I have the honor to present today my fourth annual report to the Human Rights Council. I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to the numerous States, indigenous peoples, and others, and in particular to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the support they have provided as I have carried out my mandate over the past year.
Signed 10 years ago, the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples marked a huge step forward - but its promise remains unfulfilled, says Victoria Tauli-Corpuz.
After personally witnessing decades of injustice for the world's Indigenous Peoples, I welcomed this global commitment to our rights. The lack of secure rights to own and manage our lands has been at the heart of our struggles for centuries now. The forests and rivers we rely on and have managed for generations are prime targets for either destruction - through mining, logging, and dams - or conservation. Either way, the fact that we live there has almost always been seen as an obstacle.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has initiated the preparation of her next thematic report on criminalisation and attacks against indigenous peoples defending their rights under human rights treaties and the United Nations Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. The report will specifically consider the collective impact on indigenous communities and consider the design of prevention and protection measures. This report will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2018.
Washington, D.C. - The Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Antonia Urrejola, together with the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, express their concern at the approval of Law No. 30723, "Law that declares the construction of highways in frontier areas and the maintenance of highways in the Department of Ucayali as a priority and national interest". The Rapporteurs consider that its implementation would affect protected natural areas, indigenous reserves, and territorial reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact.
Presentation by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz for the
