Indigenous And Tribal Peoples

PREAMBLE

Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are ethnic groups who are the original or earliest known inhabitants of an area, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied, colonised or invaded the area more recently. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are also known as First Peoples, First Nations, Aboriginal Peoples, Native Peoples, or Tribal Peoples. They maintain traditions of early cultures that are associated with their regions. Regrettably, these Peoples are often faced with threats to their sovereignty, economic well-being and access to the resources on which their cultures depend. They are diverse and live in nearly all the countries on all the continents and form a spectrum of humanity, ranging from traditional hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers to scholars. However, they have one thing in common — they all share a history of injustice as they were killed, tortured, enslaved, and even were victims of genocide. Also, they were denied the right to participate in governing processes. Conquest, colonisation and invasion has attempted to steal their Land, Rivers, Seas, Connection to Country and Identity as Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.

VISION

The vision as Greens is to renew and reset a world where we work with the fundamental right to self-determination for all Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and are guided by their integral empowered First Custodian Inherent Sovereignty in all consensus decision-making, with free, informed and prior consent for the longevity of our planet, its biodiversity, and all its Peoples.

Also, Greens will recognise Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ cultures, spiritual beliefs, economic and social systems, and their wisdom and role as First Custodians of Land, Water and Sky resources.

OBJECTIVE

Despite international recognition and acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the fundamental rights of all human beings, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ human rights still require specifically designated safeguards.

The Greens objective is to enact laws at all levels of government so that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples do not continue to face serious threats to their sovereignty, health, lives, and way of life.

ACTION PLAN

The Greens want to ensure that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are respected, their land claims recognised, and the physical, social, cultural, emotional, economic, and spiritual effects of colonisation in many countries are healed to create a society where everyone thrives. Therefore, the action plan is to encourage people to strengthen their bonds and support for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and to improve their rights and abilities to survive culturally and economically.

Therefore, the Greens will –

Traditional Rights

Recognise the inherent rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and support their self-determination and self-governments
Entitle the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, like others, to all rights without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status
Respect Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ cultural practice rights to hunt, fish and gather native flora and fauna sustainably in accordance with traditional cultural practice
Support local and national representative bodies of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples as independently determined by those Peoples
Ensure equity of access to essential services and development opportunities
Safeguard the Lands, Waters and Sky belonging to Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and ensure that these Lands, Waters and Sky are not threatened by resource exploration, resource extraction/interference, detrimental commodification, and toxic poisoning
Return and rehabilitate their Lands, Water and Sky resources where these were usurped by the colonisers or others in the past
Acknowledge the need for, and re-establish, the control of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples over their Land, Waters and Sky, and self-management of their resources
Enact laws so that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are free and empowered to live in and manage their traditional and sacred lands and artefacts

Sovereignty

Respect Indigenous sovereignty over self-defined and self-governed lands and respect all inherent sovereign rights that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ title to Land entails, including the right to stewardship
Acknowledge that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have a unique inherent relationship with their Lands, Waters and Sky through their cultures, and to assist the reimplementation of these rights and obligations as First and Cultural Custodians with respect and practice
Recognise that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples often have identities and aspirations that are distinct from the so-called mainstream groups in societies and are often disadvantaged by contemporary models of mitigation, adaptation, and development
Reject the doctrine of “terra nullius” (nobody’s land), and other doctrines of colonisation
Respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous and Tribal communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity
Support Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ work and efforts towards self-governance and self-determination to ensure no one is left behind or excluded from their rightful heritage

Treaties

Uphold responsibility, fulfil responsibilities in agreements, honour treaties, and respect all rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, including their inherent rights of self-government
Establish an independent body that will decide on specific claims, ensuring that treaty negotiations are conducted and financed fairly and that treaty negotiations and claims resolutions do not result in the extinguishment of Indigenous rights
Ensure that primary hunting, gathering, fishing, and rights for ceremony on traditional lands are intact and able to be practiced
Support full implementation of treaties where they exist while recognising those treaties do not go far enough, and supplementary self-government agreements between government and Indigenous and Tribal Peoples may be required
Cross-reference this policy with all other template policies as well as existing and future United Nations Conventions and Declarations for the accumulative benefit of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Heritage

Support Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ claims for the return of ancestral remains and artefacts
Enact heritage protection laws against construction, forestry, mining and other extractive and hyper terranean /terranean/ subterranean impacts in order to protect and keep intact all items and aspects of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ tangible and intangible heritage including intellectual and spiritual property
Guarantee access to significant sites by Indigenous and Tribal People with cultural connections to those sites
Ensure that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have decision-making powers over their heritage
Ensure items of cultural heritage are returned to and managed by their rightful owners and custodians
Ensure Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have a fundamental role in land and heritage management
End forced assimilation as the purpose of it is to eradicate cultures, languages, and traditions
Integrate Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ interests, cooperation and free participation at all levels in the development process, recognising that their cultures constitute an ancient and ongoing heritage of diverse knowledge and ideas, which is a potential resource for the entire planet
Promote sustainability, traditional cultures and values, in legal frameworks
Protect cultural and intellectual property rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, including rights to practice and revitalise their cultural traditions, customs and languages
Make available local languages and cultural interpreters in courts, hospitals, clinics, and government meetings when needed
Give Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ cultures equal weight with other cultures in educational social systems

Discrimination

Oppose racial discrimination, which is defined as any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin
End discrimination in schools and workplaces
Strengthen anti-discrimination protections, and access to such protections for the particular situations affecting Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Monitor with awareness and caution the expression of freedoms and rights which may covertly prejudice Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Reconciliation

Address the unfinished business of conciliation/reconciliation and actively pursue eradication of personal and institutional racism through support for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ organisational and grassroots approaches
Reconcile and provide restitution for colonial relations marked by violent expropriation, displacement, and forced assimilation that have undermined the cultural, governance, social, emotional, spiritual and economic foundations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Support efforts to emerge from cycles and positions of disadvantage
Understand that the countries with a history of colonialism cannot reach their full potential as nations until the socio-economic gap between Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and the rest of the population is closed
Commit to reject Acts and Regulations that are racist and oppressive
Include Indigenous and Tribal communities in the decision-making processes from the beginning and in the ongoing process of climate negotiations

UN Provisions

Adhere to and embrace all Articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Implement the UNDRIP and reform all judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the federal government so that they are consistent with the UNDRIP and other UN Declarations
Welcome and implement a genuine nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous and Tribal Peoples that is truly grounded in the UNDRIP doctrine of free, prior and informed consent
Protect Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ assets and intellectual property through local, state and national laws
Remove all obstacles within the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government to wholly implement UNDRIP
Make Indigenous and Tribal Peoples equal partners in setting national policy priorities
Resource Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ engagement with the United Nations, especially the progressing of an International Convention based on the UNDRIP
Assist the implementation of inter/intra Indigenous and inter/intra Tribal People’s agency and mechanisms to decolonize all peoples

Environment

Recognise Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ vital role in environmental management of their Lands, Waters and Sky through their traditional knowledge and practices
Include Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in population, development and environmental programmes that affect them, such as Indigenous/Tribal ranger programs and other employment opportunities where appropriate
Enable Indigenous and Tribal Peoples to remanage their Lands, Waters and Sky to protect the natural resources and ecosystems on which they depend

Health and Wellness

Mainstream health services and prioritisation of programmes to improve Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ preventative health and children’s health
Fund health facilities for adequate access for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ populations
Deliver health services, including mental health services, to Indigenous and Tribal communities
Support health-care services incorporating traditional practices
Include the role of extended families and elders in holistic health care
Devote sufficient resources for maternal and infant care, mental health services and treatment for common diseases
Prioritise high quality safe and affordable housing and ensure an equitable distribution of resources
Develop a national strategy for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ healthcare, housing, clean water, and food security

Education

Teach Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ languages in schools and ensure that it is resourced appropriately
Ensure the right to education, including education on human rights, cultural identities, languages and values
Ensure children of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have the right to their own cultures, beliefs and languages
Ensure equality of outcomes for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples on all major indicators of education, training, housing, community safety, employment and living standards
Ensure culturally appropriate education for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Create an education system that re-enables Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ establishment and control of own education systems where they choose to do so, in their own languages, consistent with their cultures
Provide support to increase the number of Indigenous and Tribal People entering higher education
Enable Indigenous and Tribal acquired knowledge systems to be well-resourced and able to contribute to the mainstream education system
Ensure that every Indigenous and Tribal child has access to quality educational opportunities based on expressed cultural and social priorities
Support and sustain the transmission, proliferation, and regeneration of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ cultural works and languages
Educate non-Indigenous people on the histories, customs, traditions and cultures of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Protected Areas

Include Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in the management of protected areas
Prevent locating toxic dumps, nuclear tests and other undesirable workings of industrialised society on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ Lands, Waters and Sky
Ensure that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have veto rights when negotiating matters of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and property where potential for adverse impacts on Land, Waters and Sky exist
Observe, learn and act upon, with cross-cultural sensitivity, the balance and complexity of matriarchal and patriarchal cultural business, values and custodian wishes which apply to the protection and sustainability of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Lands, Waters and Sky.

Anti-Violence

Approach peace and anti-violence programs with education and understandings based on awareness of the intergenerational and intragenerational trauma resulting from the displacement and other colonial circumstances visited upon Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Enact laws to restrict lateral community and family violence and abuses
Empower community initiatives and networks for alcohol and other substance abuses
Ensure measures to protect Indigenous and Tribal women and children from sexual and domestic violence and abuse
Provide Indigenous and Tribal women and children with safe protected spaces free from the actual or perceived threat of abusers
End the misuse of the criminal justice system, and the abuses of excessive force, that uses incarceration and violence by and within the police and prison system to deny Indigenous and Tribal Peoples their rights and lives
Enable genuine opportunities for employment and enterprise development in remote, rural and urban communities through justice reinvestment and alternative non-incarceration sentencing for appropriate offenders, under the supervision and guidance of appropriate elders and community representatives
Stop the high rates of suicide and self-harm in some Indigenous and Tribal communities by resourcing appropriate elder- and community-devised programs

Compensation

Create a process for fair compensation for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples where their property has been taken from them, or wages have been withheld from them, or they have been ‘stolen’ – involuntarily removed from their family and culture
Develop and implement comprehensive strategies to address the impacts of climate change on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and calculating compensation for adverse impacts on their Lands, Waters and Sky
Achieve and sustain food and water security for Indigenous and Tribal People who wish to remain in remote areas
Facilitate Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ involvement in a climate-friendly Green transitional renewable economy
Re-establish ‘100%’ of precolonial levels for contemporary baseline aspirations in employment, housing, food and energy security of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Employment

Create employment opportunity programmes for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Enable banks to provide credit for development on communally owned lands
Facilitate appropriate inter- and intra- Indigenous and Tribal Peoples trade and exchange, in recognition of pre-colonial trade routes and forums for the exchange of goods between and within Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Food Security

Improve food security by working with non-profit groups and funding education programmes in nutrition and horticulture
Recognise Treaty Rights concerning hunting, fishing and gathering at subsistence levels for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Acknowledge the unique role of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Land and food management and agriculture, and seek ways to promote the integration of these techniques into contemporary economies, for the longevity of all peoples and the planet’s biodiversity

References:

https://en.unesco.org/indigenous-peoples/un-policies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples

https://www.globalgreens.org/globalcharter-english

https://www.greenclimate.fund/document/indigenous-peoples-policy

https://greens.org.au/policies/first-nations-peoples

https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_complete_party

https://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform/reconciliation-with-indigenous-peoples

https://www.cagreens.org/platform/native-americans

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/conservation-policy-and-indigenous-peoples

https://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/studyguides/indigenous.html

https://europeangreens.eu/utrecht2016/indigenous-people%E2%80%99s-rights