PH Upholds Indigenous Peoples' Participation, Calls for More Inclusive Discourse on IP Issues in the UN
GENEVA 07 December 2020 — The Philippines stressed the need for indigenous peoples to be meaningfully engaged in discussions and decisions on all matters affecting them during this week's UN meeting on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Speaking at the 13th Session of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) convened virtually from Geneva, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Allen A. Capuyan underlined that "IP representations in decision making bodies such as the Regional Development, Peace and Order and Health Councils ensured that COVID-19 responses for IP communities in the Philippines were shaped by the IPs themselves.
Chairman Capuyan informed the meeting that the responses have effectively helped IP communities manage health risks and prevent the spread of COVID-19. These included interventions such as the immediate imposition of the quarantine, the prioritization of IPs in health and social services, and the funding support for IP farmers for food production requirements to assist communities to secure food supply amidst market disruptions arising from the widespread implementation of quarantine across the country.
The UN EMRIP was established by the Human Rights Council, the UN's main human rights body, in 2007 to assist Member States in achieving the goals of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The 13th Session of EMRIP consisted of virtual regional meetings from 30 November to 04 December 2020 under the theme of the impact of COVID-19 on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Chairperson Capuyan also drew the EMRIP's attention to the continuous attacks by the armed non-state actor and terrorist organization Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) against the IPs in the Philippines, as well the disinformation being perpetrated by the group on the state of IP communities in the country to advance its violent political agenda.
Chairperson Capuyan called on the international community to support the government in its comprehensive socio-economic and peace and development programs for the IPs and in ensuring a more inclusive and representative discourse on indigenous issues in the UN.
NCIP is the primary government agency responsible for policies and programs on the rights of IPs and the recognition of their ancestral domains, as provided for by the Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997. IPRA caters to the protection of the rights of over 14 million indigenous peoples, comprising around 13 percent of the country’s total population. END
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