The focus of this year’s International Day is “Bridging the gap: implementing the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
“Unfortunately, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Rights is constantly being undermined here in Canada with the ongoing attack on First Nation rights,” said Regional Chief Beardy. “Internationally, Canada has been criticized for its human rights record and in particular its rejection of the UN call for a review of violence against aboriginal women.”
This month Regional Chief Beardy gave formal notice to Canada, the province, resource developers and the general public through a Notice of Assertion that First Nations inherent and Treaty rights will continue to be asserted in original territories and ancestral homelands.
“These rights include, but are not limited to, those re-affirmed by Section 35 of the Constitution of Canada and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We call on all Canadians to stand together and acknowledge the current human rights violations perpetrated against First Nations peoples, Aboriginal women in particular and demand action on behalf of the federal government.”
The theme this year according to the United Nations aims to highlight the importance of implementing the rights of Indigenous peoples through policies and programmes at both the national and international level working together towards this common goal with governments, the United Nations system, Indigenous peoples and other stakeholders.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).
The Chiefs of Ontario is a political forum and a secretariat for collective decision making, action, and advocacy for the 133 First Nation communities located within the boundaries of the province of Ontario, Canada. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook or Twitter @ChiefsOfOntario.
