national youth indigenous peoples conference



RELEASE. PRESS RELEASE May 20, 2009 FORGING ONE VOICE AND UNITY! Indigenous youth of the Philippines gathered to strengthen struggle for land, life and resources Over 66 indigenous youth and advocates from all over the Philippines gathered last May 8-15 to express commitment in promoting the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) and in mitigating climate change during the National Indigenous Youth Conference (NIYC) at St. Benedict Priory, Ulas, Davao City. The conference was participated by different IP organization from all over the Philippines, various non-government organizations (NGOs), some youth agencies from the government and international observers from London, France, Germany and Malaysia. The NIYC was made possible through the efforts of Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN), a non-government organization currently based in Baguio; Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas (KAMP), a nationwide formation of IPs in the Philippines; and Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao (KALUMARAN) Youth, an organization of Lumads based in Mindanao. It was sponsored by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives - Embassy of Canada, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) and also supported by the Asian Indigneous Peoples Pct (AIPP), InsighShare and Land is Life. The seven-day conference started with a participatory video training on Climate Change where the participants learned how to document the effects of climate change through filming. It was also an activity to initially know how deep the participants’ knowledge is on UN DRIP and climate change. This was followed by a community exposure/integration in the area of Lumad farmers in Sitio Kahusayan, Barangay Guianga, Tugbok District, Davao City. The community integration made the participants to be exposed to the struggles of the indigenous peoples there for their ancestral land. This was further enriched by discussions and workshops on the national situation of the indigenous youth and the issues that are being faced by the indigenous youth like mining, ecotourism, militarization and land grabbing. Through the discussions and workshops on climate change, the delegates expressed their alarm on the grave effects of climate change to the indigenous communities. A unity statement made by the delegates stated that “We, the indigenous peoples, are the least contributor to climate change, yet the most affected by it.” The participants then identified its traditional knowledge as a key instrument to mitigate climate change since it bears sustainable methods, and hence, it must be promoted. However, militarization, massive logging, plantation and land grabbing that affect the ancestral lands of indigenous peoples, made the mitigation process impossible for the community. Therefore, the current effects of climate change are being worsened by the persistence of destructive mining, massive logging, plantation economy, militarization and land grabbing. Consequently, the participants unanimously articulated the need to utilize the DRIP as the indigenous peoples’ key instrument in solving the bad effects of climate change. The DRIP shall also be used in asserting the indigenous peoples’ right to their land and resources. The body collectively challenged the government for the immediate and thorough implementation of the DRIP in our country. The highlight of the conference was the unity statement building and actions planning on how to further strengthen the struggle for the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples. As one of the results, the participants were fully committed in re-echoing the conference’s challenges to their own communities. It was reiterated that intensification of the struggles in the national arena shall be supported by escalations of achievements in the grassroots level. This, hence, resulted to the formation of a national indigenous youth network. Furthermore, as part of the delegates’ commitment in continuing international lobbying, the unity statements made by the delegates were proposed to be submitted to the 8th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York last May 18-29, 2009. The conference ended with a symbolic activity where the participants drew their hand’s outline in a poster printed with “Lupang Ninuno, Depensahan! Ipaglaban!” This was a symbolic expression of the delegates’ commitment to protect their ancestral lands.###

Photos courtesy of Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas (KAMP)



=

==
PRESS RELEASE May 23, 2009 Attesting its commitment to protect IP rights, NIYC delegates join ISM in Mt. Diwalwal Right after the National Indigenous Youth Conference (NIYC) last May 8-15 in Davao City, over 30 of its delegates from 22 organizations joined the International Solidarity Mission (ISM) last May 15-16 in Mt. Diwalwal, Compostela Valley as its immediate confirmation of its dedication to protect and promote indigenous peoples rights. The ISM was organized by the Exodus for Justice and Peace (EJP), an alliance of civil libertarians, religious groups, the academe and other professionals. It was also made possible through the efforts and assistance of Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas (KAMP), a national federation of indigenous peoples' organizations of the Philippines; and Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao (KALUMARAN), an umbrella organization of indigenous peoples group in Mindanao. It was organized to visit Davao Region and see the current situation of the indigenous peoples in various areas in relation to the worsening conditions of mining, militarization and dislocations. The participants were divided into six teams which were tasked to focus on area where grossest human rights violations have been perpetrated recently which are Compostela, New Bataan and Diwalwal in Compostela Valley, Paquibato District- Davao City, Davao del Sur, and in Tampakan, SOCSKSARGEN. The NIYC delegates were tasked to join the team that went to Mt. Diwalwal in Compostela Valley. On the participants’ arrival to the Mt. Diwalwal area, they were divided into three sub-groups which are the medical team, psycho-social team and the documentation team. The medical team conducted health services to the community through free check-up, dental operations, circumcision and distribution of prescribed medicines. The psycho-social team taught the children of Mt. Diwalwal various games, music, arts and literature. Lastly, the documentation team conducted interviews to the officials and residents of Mt. Diwalwal regarding the current situation of dislocation, militarization and mining, with stress on the allegedly entry of a big mining company, in their community. The NIYC delegates have been exposed to the current struggles of the people of Mt. Diwalwal through its two-day participation in the ISM. The participants even witnessed and experienced frightening military intimidations as more than 10 full-geared military personnel surrounded the place where the ISM was taking place. Alarm among the delegates has been intensified when some military personnel were blatantly taking pictures of faces of the organizers and participants using mobile phones. Despite these intimidations from the military personnel, the delegates were still determined to continue their purpose in Mt. Diwalwal. The NIYC delegates’ representative, Kimmy Rose Idao of ANAKBAYAN-Cordillera, even managed to deliver a militant solidarity message for the community in front of the military personnel. “Huwag nating antayin na maranasan natin dito sa Diwalwal ang sinapit at sinasapit ng mga katutubong mamamayan ng Kordilyera dahil sa mapanirang pagmiminas at militarisasyon. Kaya dapat nating gawin lahat ng paraan upang pigilan ang pagpasok ng bagong dambuhalang mining corporation dito sa Diwalwal,” Idao said during the closing ceremony of the ISM when KAMP also declared the Mt. Diwalwal site as an Ancestral Land At Risk by Mining (ALARM) Site. The NIYC delegates’ participation to the ISM ended through their active involvement in the data collation of what they gathered in Mt. Diwalwal, which took place when they came back to Davao City.


**