The Canadian government has drawn fierce condemnation from the world's indigenous communities for its refusal to sign an international document that recognizes native people's right to self-determination.
"They are obstructing the use of the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples," Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, head of the UN Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues, told a news conference Thursday.
Tauli-Corpuz and other indigenous leaders from across the world
seemed particularly disappointed with the Canadian stance because
Canada is one of the countries that played a key role in the formation
of the UN Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The 16-member Forum, which is an advisory body, is currently
holding its seventh annual meeting in New York. The key task for the
meeting is to explore what further steps can be taken to strengthen the
role of indigenous communities in the fight against climate change and
the loss of biodiversity.
Indigenous leaders have consistently argued that no international
efforts for environmental protection can be successful if they also
undermine the rights of native people.
According to the United Nations, there are more than 370 million
indigenous people worldwide who live in close proximity to nature and
posses intimate knowledge about numerous species of plants and animals.
To scientists, their role in efforts to preserve biodiversity is
indispensable. But many governments think otherwise.
