De Povos Indígenas no Brasil
Notícias
Around the Commonwealth: Indigenous rights under the spotlight
17/06/2009
Fonte: The Common Wealth - http://www.thecommonwealth.org/
The Royal Commonwealth Society plays host to a debate on the human rights of indigenous communities
An Amazonian Indian shaman, styled as the "Dalai Lama of the Rainforest", appealed to world leaders at the Royal Commonwealth Society last week to join forces to prevent indigenous peoples "dying out".
Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, the spokesman for the Yanomami people in the Amazon rainforest, urged governments around the world to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, warning of the environmental and man-made threats they face.
Addressing around 200 students and members of the public at the Commonwealth Club, the headquarters of the RCS in London, Shaman Yanomami said: "We, the indigenous peoples of the world, what we don't like is those politicians who mistreat us and who also mistreat the forest and the rivers and in turn our health."
"We need to be protected and respected," he said. "We should work together, we should... make friendships, work and fight together to save our planet... Do not let indigenous peoples die out".
Shaman Yanomami - who is lobbying politicians ahead of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December - was speaking at a specially organised debate on the rights of indigenous peoples on 11 June 2009.
Chaired by British peer Lord Eric Avebury, the 'Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples' debate featured Dr Purna Sen, director of the Commonwealth Secretariat's Human Rights Unit, as well as Survival International director Stephen Corry and human rights campaigner Ina Hume.
The event drew criticism of the Commonwealth's record on indigenous rights from some of the speakers and, in response, Dr Sen highlighted the Secretariat's ongoing current efforts to promote indigenous women's rights and improve children's access to education.
Dr Sen agreed the "issues and experiences of indigenous peoples" should take "centre stage" in action on climate change, adding that more could be done to help influence countries as well as companies that "trample over the rights of people".
She said: "It is certainly true that indigenous people's enjoyments of rights are much less than one would hope it to be and certainly much less than it should be."
Royal Commonwealth Society Director Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, said he felt "enormously privileged" to host the debate.
"Events like these are at the heart of the RCS's charitable aims," Dr Sriskandarajah said. "By holding events such as these with high-profile speakers, we're able to reach out to a wide audience and to engage them in the modern Commonwealth in an interesting and dynamic way."
Originally founded more than 140 years ago, the RCS lays on an array of topical debates and lectures with distinguished speakers from around the world for members as well as the general public. The society's broad mission is to support and promote the modern Commonwealth, its culture and core values.
From its base in London, the organisation also runs a number of educational and cultural projects including the world\'s oldest school\'s essay competition and the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme.
Luminaries to have spoken at the Commonwealth Club in the last six months alone include former President of South Africa, FW De Klerk, the presidents of the Maldives and Uganda, as well as a former prime minister of Malaysia.
This Thursday 18 June 2009 the RCS will play host to a lecture by Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister for the Commonwealth in the UK Government.
An Amazonian Indian shaman, styled as the "Dalai Lama of the Rainforest", appealed to world leaders at the Royal Commonwealth Society last week to join forces to prevent indigenous peoples "dying out".
Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, the spokesman for the Yanomami people in the Amazon rainforest, urged governments around the world to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, warning of the environmental and man-made threats they face.
Addressing around 200 students and members of the public at the Commonwealth Club, the headquarters of the RCS in London, Shaman Yanomami said: "We, the indigenous peoples of the world, what we don't like is those politicians who mistreat us and who also mistreat the forest and the rivers and in turn our health."
"We need to be protected and respected," he said. "We should work together, we should... make friendships, work and fight together to save our planet... Do not let indigenous peoples die out".
Shaman Yanomami - who is lobbying politicians ahead of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December - was speaking at a specially organised debate on the rights of indigenous peoples on 11 June 2009.
Chaired by British peer Lord Eric Avebury, the 'Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples' debate featured Dr Purna Sen, director of the Commonwealth Secretariat's Human Rights Unit, as well as Survival International director Stephen Corry and human rights campaigner Ina Hume.
The event drew criticism of the Commonwealth's record on indigenous rights from some of the speakers and, in response, Dr Sen highlighted the Secretariat's ongoing current efforts to promote indigenous women's rights and improve children's access to education.
Dr Sen agreed the "issues and experiences of indigenous peoples" should take "centre stage" in action on climate change, adding that more could be done to help influence countries as well as companies that "trample over the rights of people".
She said: "It is certainly true that indigenous people's enjoyments of rights are much less than one would hope it to be and certainly much less than it should be."
Royal Commonwealth Society Director Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, said he felt "enormously privileged" to host the debate.
"Events like these are at the heart of the RCS's charitable aims," Dr Sriskandarajah said. "By holding events such as these with high-profile speakers, we're able to reach out to a wide audience and to engage them in the modern Commonwealth in an interesting and dynamic way."
Originally founded more than 140 years ago, the RCS lays on an array of topical debates and lectures with distinguished speakers from around the world for members as well as the general public. The society's broad mission is to support and promote the modern Commonwealth, its culture and core values.
From its base in London, the organisation also runs a number of educational and cultural projects including the world\'s oldest school\'s essay competition and the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme.
Luminaries to have spoken at the Commonwealth Club in the last six months alone include former President of South Africa, FW De Klerk, the presidents of the Maldives and Uganda, as well as a former prime minister of Malaysia.
This Thursday 18 June 2009 the RCS will play host to a lecture by Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister for the Commonwealth in the UK Government.
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