• Wednesday, May 18, 2011
• Inter Press Service

— Indigenous peoples continue to be excluded from decision-making processes when it comes to extraction of raw materials and the implementation of mega projects on their lands.

In most cases, they are 'bypassed in the processing of extractive industries or major projects like dams,' Devasish Roy, a member of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), told reporters on Tuesday.

According to Roy, an indigenous Chakma from Bangladesh, the most important question is, how 'we get governments and private corporations to respect the international standards of the rights of indigenous people, such as those acknowledged in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.'

In some regions, there were carefully-taken steps in this direction. Since Greenland became an autonomous area from Denmark, 'the interest from outside is overwhelming', said Aqqaluk Lynge, an indigenous Inuit from Greenland and former member of the UNPFII.

The effects of climate change and the rapidly melting polar ice and Greenland’s icecaps, offer new opportunities for extractive industries. Fishing and mining, as well as oil and gas companies, cannot wait to exploit the Arctic area, he said.

On the Arctic Council, in which all eight arctic states are represented, the indigenous Inuits have a seat as well. During this council meeting last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sergei Lavrov foreign minister of the Russian Federation signed the Nuuk declaration and an agreement to cooperate in Search and Rescue efforts in the Arctic.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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