Forum Concludes First Week with Discussion on Indigenous Peoples in Central, Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia

Speakers Call for Improved Socio-economic Conditions for Indigenous, Steps To Help Them Adapt to Climate Change, Control of Corporate Expansion on Lands

 The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues this session put its spotlight on the native peoples and cultures of Central and Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, with civil society groups and Forum experts urging firm steps from the region’s Governments to improve the socio-economic conditions of the indigenous peoples, help them adapt to climate change and to reign in corporate-driven globalization.

During a special half-day dialogue, Permanent Forum experts from the Russian Federation cited the vast region’s ethnic and cultural diversity, and lamented that its fragile natural ecosystems — along with the reindeer herding and other traditional livelihoods they supported — could be ruined by a combination of indifference, legislative gaps and unchecked industrial expansion. While the Russian Federation and Ukraine had pledged to support indigenous peoples, they still found their lands, languages and cultural heritage under serious threat.

“For all the importance of international cooperation, it is important to acknowledge that States have the ultimate responsibility for addressing the situation of indigenous peoples,” said Andrey Nikiforov, who joined fellow Permanent Forum expert Ana Nikanchina in noting that, while countries of the region were substantially developed, the indigenous peoples faced socio-economic challenges and their rights under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples were often disregarded. Today’s discussion should raise awareness about such challenges and highlight ways they could become more involved in local decision-making on issues that affected their rights and cultures, she said.

Потом грянула перестройка, когда рухнула привычная система, и коренное население опять оказалось на перепутье: резко выросла безработица, нищета, алкоголизм. И всё же они сумели сохранить свою самобытность, традиции, культуру и язык. Но и сегодня коренным народам приходится нелегко. Об этом их представители говорили на Постоянном форуме коренных народов, который проходит сейчас в Нью-Йорке.

Продолжение темы – в материале Елены Вапничной.

«Вот за это десятилетие мы видим, что процент людей, которые доживают до определённого возраста, в России уменьшился именно среди коренных, то есть низкий уровень жизни, очень высокий уровень безработицы, очень высокий уровень суицидов среди подростков и среди детей».