The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) webinar series for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples which began on August 5, concluded on August 7, Friday. The AIPP webinar series discussion topic, Towards Self-Determination and Democratization: Where are we heading? saw panelist from world organization UNESCO, and from countries of Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Myanmar, India, joined and participated by Indigenous peoples’ groups members, well wishers, institutions and organizations from across the globe.
Gam A. Shimray, AIPP Secretary General expressed his gratitude for the success of AIPP webinar series to all the participants during the three days Voicing Indigenous rights, concerns and solidarity, and said, “from now on, we must continue to struggle and keep up the good work”.
The Secretary General expressed confidence that the participants are the ones who will have greater influence in what was discussed and deliberated in the webinar, saying participants are the agent of change creating a ripple effect. He highlighted on the important discussion topic that emerged out of the series, one, he said, is the difficult political situation the Indigenous peoples’ groups are going through particularly the rise of the Right Wing Populist and Authoritarianism which he said has shrunk the civic space for meaningful dialogue to access justice and resolve conflict.
The Secretary General said, it is all the more urgent for Indigenous people to pursue for deepening of democracy and take into account the Indigenous peoples conception of self-Government rooted in a community living, which accounts for all living being, looking beyond ourselves as human beings and encompassing the larger concept of Being, living in harmony with nature. The Secretary General said given the situation, it has become all the more important to pursue the struggle and keep the communication, the vision of Indigenous peoples to provide solutions to climate change, environment, development and on matters of deepening of democracy.
The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) is a regional organisation founded in 1988 by indigenous peoples’ movements and established its Secretariat in 1992. It is committed to the cause of promoting and defending indigenous peoples’ rights and human rights as a whole. It aims to strengthen the movements of indigenous peoples of Asia for recognition of their collective rights, and protection of traditional knowledge, bio-diversity and environment for sustainable and self-determined development.
The specific objectives of AIPP is to build the solidarity and cooperation of indigenous peoples of Asia; to build the capacities of indigenous peoples organisations and communities to address their concerns; to advocate for the recognition and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights and issues at the national, regional and international levels.
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