International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2011

Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future."

The 17th commemoration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was held on Tuesday, 9 August 2011 at the UN Headquarters in New York.  The event was organized by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues DSPD/DESA, the United Nations Department of Public Information, and the NGO Committee on the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

There were statements delivered by the Secretary-General, the President of the 65th session of the General Assembly, The Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and others.

A panel discussion entitled: “Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future" and a screening of the film “Harmony of Culture and Nature” took place in the ECOSOC Chamber of the North Lawn Building (NLB).

Messages of the Day

• Message of the Secretary-General
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• Message of the President of the 65th Session of the General Assembly
• Message of the Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Message of the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
• Message from the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (SCBD) on the Occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples >>> EN | ES
• Message from Jan McAlpine, Director, The United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS)
• Statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Message from Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on the Occasion of the 2011 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
• Message from Francis Gurry, Director General, World Intellectual Property Organizatin (WIPO)
• Message of the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Statement by Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director
• Message from Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women

Programme Activities of the Day
9 August 2011*
2:30pm – 6:00pm, ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ 

(2:30pm) Screening of “Craft Kalimantan - Harmony of culture and nature” by Crafts Kalimantan

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(3:05pm) Welcome and Introduction by the Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Chandra Roy-Henriksen

Message of the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon

Message of the President of the 65th Session of the General Assembly,H.E. Joseph Deiss

Message of the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Sha Zukang

Message of the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,
Mirna Cunningham (Miskita, Nicaragua)

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(3:30pm) INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE

“Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future”

Panelists:

Roberto Borrero (Taino, Puerto Rico) Chairperson, NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Rama Rao, Senior Counsellor, World Intellectual Property Organization
Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne/Hodulgee Muscogee, US) expert in American Indian federal laws
Sangini Rana, Indigenous leader from Nepal

Discussants:

Video message by Patricia Velasquez (Wayuu, Venezuela) followed byLulu Betancur from Wayuu Taya Foundation (Venezuela & Colombia)
Murielle Borst Tarrant, American Indian Law Alliance
Jennifer Gootman, Executive Director, Global Goods Partners
Loretta Sarah Todd (Cree, Metis), Indigenous film-maker
Renee Bowers, International Fair Trade Movement

Moderated by:

Mirna Cunningham (Miskita, Nicaragua), Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues

Organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues DSPD/DESA, the United Nations Department of Public Information and the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

*The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is officially commemorated on 9 August annually in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.

Watch the webcast of the event