ASEAN

For Immediate Release: 30 March 2012

Indigenous Peoples representing 15 organizations from six ASEAN countries and other support organizations under the banner of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force on ASEAN (IPTF-ASEAN) have expressed their disappointment and condemnation for not allowing them to hold a workshop to discuss Indigenous Peoples rights to land, territories and resources and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People at the venue of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The workshop was intended to discuss the common issues of indigenous peoples in the ASEAN in relation to their rights over their lands, territories and resources and come up with recommendations for action of the ASEAN and its member states. The group learned late last night the cancellation of their venue and for the reason that the workshop theme is a sensitive issue. 

Un dialogue constructif et des synergies potentielles entre les commissions et institutions nationales des droits humains d’Indonésie, de Malaisie, de Thaïlande, des Philippines et du Cambodge ont permis de franchir une étape importante lors d’un atelier de quatre jours en novembre à Bali, en Indonésie. L’atelier a été convoqué par la Commission nationale des droits humains d’Indonésie, et organisé par le Forest Peoples Programme et l’ONG indonésienne Sawit Watch, avec le soutien de l’Initiative des droits et ressources (RRI), du Samdhana Institute et de RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests.

Cet atelier historique sur le thème « Droits humains et entreprises : approches juridiques plurielles à la résolution des conflits, au renforcement institutionnel et à la réforme juridique » a réuni 60 participants, dont d’éminents universitaires, des représentants des peuples autochtones et des membres d'ONG nationales et internationales de soutien. La déclaration inaugurale a été délivrée par le Rapporteur spécial des Nations Unies sur le droit à l’alimentation, Olivier de Schutter, et une présentation a été réalisée par Raja Devasish Roy, membre élu de l’Instance permanente des Nations Unies sur les questions autochtones (UNFPII) et chef traditionnel du cercle Chakma dans les Chittagong Hill Tracts au Bangladesh.

PRESS INFORMATION – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A landmark workshop, “Human Rights and Business: Plural Legal Approaches to Conflict Resolution, Institutional Strengthening and Legal Reform”, is taking place at the Santika Hotel, Kuta, Bali, from today until 1 December 2011, convened by the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and supporting NGOs SawitWatch and Forest Peoples Programme. The event will be attended by over 60 participants, from the National Human Rights Commissions of the Southeast Asian region, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, notable academics, representatives of indigenous peoples, as well as members of supportive national and international NGOs.

Nur Kholis, Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), said,

“We are taking this initiative in collaboration with the other human rights commissioners of South East Asia as a way of ensuring a more balanced approach to development based on respect for peoples’ rights, with an emphasis on the need to secure livelihoods and the right to food.”