SUPPORTING PREPARATION OF A DRAFT AMERICAN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The OAS is in the process of negotiating a Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. To that end, a Working Group was created under the OAS Permanent Council's Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs to whom the Department of International Law provides with legal advice.

Member state representatives and indigenous peoples' representatives take part in the discussions and negotiating sessions. Up through October 2011, there have been a total of 13 meetings of negotiations in the quest for points of consensus with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples.

A summary of the outcomes of the meetings held can be viewed at the following link: [Click Here]

Finally, it is important to state that the Department of International Law serves as administrator of the specific fund of voluntary contributions, which provides financial support for indigenous representatives to participate in the meetings of the negotiation process. More than 1,000 indigenous leaders from different organizations in 28 Member states have participated in the negotiation process. More than 300 representatives have benefited from this Fund. Indigenous peoples and their representatives participate in the OAS, even though they do not enjoy the status of "civil society organization."

For further information on the status of the negotiations, visit:  [Click Here]

The initiatives taken by the Department of International Law are funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Government of Spain through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). These activities take into account gender perspectives, cultural diversity, and equitable geographic distribution.