IACHR
Press Release
International Seminar on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights to Autonomy and Self-Government Ends Successfully
March 15, 2019
IACHR Press and Communication Office
Tel: +1 (202) 370-9000
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Mexico City, Mexico – The International Seminar on Indigenous
Peoples’ Rights to Autonomy and Self-Government as a Manifestation
of their Right to Self-Determination—held on March 11-13 at the
headquarters of Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, in Mexico City—has ended
successfully, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
said. The seminar was hosted jointly by the IACHR and by the United
Nations’ Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
the United Nations’ Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the United
Nations’ Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and
the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), in
cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights and with the host institution, Mexico’s National
Institute for Indigenous Peoples.
The seminar, promoted by indigenous organizations as well as by event
organizers, sought to promote the exchange and analysis of experiences
related to recognition and to the exercise of autonomy and self-government,
as a manifestation of indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination.
Seminar participants highlighted the ongoing debate about indigenous
peoples’ exercise of self-determination. Indigenous representatives had the
opportunity to share positive experiences and to debate the challenges they
face in the effort to consolidate their models of autonomy. At the same
time, they stressed the worrying implementation gaps that undermine that
exercise. Among the event’s main conclusions, the right to autonomy and
self-determination stands out as a fundamental pillar for the survival of
indigenous peoples, and as a pre-requisite for the exercise of all other
rights.
Participants requested that international human rights institutions take
a more active role in the implementation of international instruments
recognizing indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination. They also asked
such international institutions to adopt any measures necessary to prevent
regressive moves in international law concerning recognition of indigenous
peoples’ right to self-determination and other rights related to it.
Further, participants requested that international institutions promote
coordination among the various mechanisms of the International System to
Protect Human Rights and among the Special Rapporteurships whose mandates
are linked to indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination. In
particular, participants asked the Permanent Forum, the Special
Rapporteurship and the Expert Mechanism to influence treaty bodies and UN
agencies so they protect indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination.
Concerning the Inter-American Human Rights System, participants requested
that it comment—through the relevant mechanisms—on the scope and content of
the right to self-determination and make specific recommendations to States
to ensure adequate implementation.
The Commission’s Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
Commissioner Antonia Urrejola, said that “the IACHR has been working since
the 1980s on the elements that make up indigenous peoples’ right to
self-determination (such as non-discrimination, cultural integrity,
territorial integrity and development), and key standards have been adopted
at the Inter-American Human Rights System that must be taken into
consideration for self-determination. I want to make the most of this
opportunity to invite indigenous authorities to use the Inter-American Human
Rights System, through its various mechanisms.”
“This seminar has been a great opportunity to advance intercultural dialogue with indigenous peoples and their conceptions about ways to exercise the right to self-determination, while it has allowed us to build alliances and to explain the various IACHR mechanisms that indigenous peoples can access,” said Commissioner Urrejola.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
No. 068/19