Statement by

H.E. Archbishop Celestino Migliore

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the U.N.

Before the third committee on Agenda 114: 

Programme of Activities of International Decade

Of The World's Indigenous People 

New York, 22 October 2003 

Mr. Chairman, 

First of all, on behalf of my delegation, allow me to note that the fruitful discussions so far on this topic have shown the commitment and competence with which you, Mr. Chairman, have directed the debate on this particularly important item. 

In speaking today in the framework of this Committee on this agenda item dedicated to the world's indigenous people, I wish to reaffirm three convictions in which my delegation firmly believes, namely: 

First, right to development is inherent in every person, group or nation and the world's 370 million indigenous people have the same claim to development as all the rest; 

Second, development, for it to be truly human, should be integral, comprising all its multidimensional aspects: economic and social, political and cultural, moral and spiritual; it has to be both individual and collective, personal and shared; above all, it should be all of these cohesively and harmoniously together; 

Third, the indigenous people themselves must be architects of their own development. 

My delegation is happy to note that at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held last May at the UN New York Headquarters, the Secretary-General emphasized the contribution of indigenous people towards environmental protection efforts and underscored the need for progress on the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. 

The Holy See welcomes the integration of the concerns of the indigenous people into the objectives of the UN system, especially in education, which is key to their full participation in world progress, to the attainment of social justice, good governance, and an informed and responsible freedom, without which they could become an easy prey to misinformation and manipulative policies often disguised as development programs.  

My delegation appreciates that within the activities of the International Decade a Trust Fund for human rights, environment, development, education and health of the indigenous people has been established through the Permanent Forum of Indigenous People. 

While international efforts towards the development of the standards concerning the rights of indigenous people are important, national policies are quite as significant. Through constitutional legislations and other measures, countries can do much in preserving and promoting their indigenous heritage, and in protecting their rights over their ancestral domains and natural resources. 

Within the framework of the three convictions I mentioned earlier, my delegation believes that every initiative which concerns the indigenous people should be guided by some firm principles, of which I would like to mention two, namely: 

First, one should refrain from using criteria foreign or unacceptable to the identity of those concerned. For instance, the indigenous people are considered custodians of the earth; they maintain a strong symbiosis with nature; they possess an acute sense of realities beyond the material; they are keepers of oral traditional knowledge. Their culture and languages are to be respected. Any program which does not take these elements into account could do more harm than development. 

Second, the indigenous people should be involved in the various stages of the projects, from feasibility studies to implementation, from evaluation to readjustments. Their participation is vital, for what is at stake is not only their own development, but the very survival of their identity and heritage. 

Finally, my delegation welcomes the recommendations of the Permanent Indigenous Forum to stand up for women and children, and wishes to add that the more women are free to share their gifts and to assume roles of leadership, the better the prospects are for the entire human family. 

Mr. Chairman,  

The International Decade of the World's Indigenous People is about to wind up in 2004. The decade has made new turns for the better, thanks to both the celebrated and the unsung heroes. We carry on braving the challenges still ahead, inspired by our common resolve to enable the indigenous people regain their distinct place. The Holy See remains committed to the cause. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.