Indigenous Peoples - October 2013
Department of International Law conducts training course at OAS headquarters
on the rights of indigenous peoples
On Wednesday, October 9,
2013, the Department of International Law of the
Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the Organization of
American States conducted a workshop on "Mechanisms
for Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" for
the delegations of missions to the OAS and General
Secretariat staff. The workshop was attended by some
60 individuals, who were awarded a certificate of
participation.
They heard presentations on the
following topics: international provisions for the
protection of indigenous peoples' rights, delivered
by the Department of International Law; the
inter-American system for protecting and promoting
human rights, with a special emphasis on
jurisprudence, delivered by the Executive
Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights; and protection of the rights of
indigenous women, delivered by the Technical
Secretariat of the Mechanism to Follow Up on
Implementation of the Convention of Belém do Pará.
he Department of International
Law provides legal advice to the organs, agencies,
and entities of the Organization; serves as the
depositary of multilateral treaties and bilateral
agreements; and promotes and disseminates
international law. In addition, the Department
conducts specific projects to promote vulnerable
sectors (indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants, etc.).
In the area of indigenous
affairs, the Department has embarked on a "Program of Action on Indigenous Peoples in the Americas"
aimed at promoting and strengthening participation
by indigenous peoples in internal and international
decision-making processes, increasing general social
awareness of this topic, training representatives of
indigenous peoples in a number of areas contributing
to the integral development of their communities,
and facilitating the incorporation of indigenous
issues into a series of OAS projects and activities.
In these fields, thanks to
funding from the German Government (BMZ) and the
German International Development Agency (GIZ), the
Department of International Law has been able to
engage in: activities designed to train and empower
indigenous leaders, individuals working in
nongovernmental organizations, and government
officials in a number of OAS member states; and
initiatives promoting the rights of indigenous
peoples in the Americas, including these workshops
held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat.
Related Links/Documents:
For additional information about Indigenous Peoples,
please visit our Website »
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