At the Tenth Session
of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) from
16-27 May 2011, the KKF youth team from around the world attended the
opening ceremony at the UN General Assembly and joined other Indigenous
groups in congratulating Ms. Mirna Cunningham on being selected as the
Chairperson of the UNPFII. We had the privilege in hearing
statements presented by the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Mr. Ban Ki Moon and Mr. Sha Zukang, the Under Secretary-General for
Economic and Social Affairs. In their speeches, both
stressed the importance of protecting and guaranteeing the rights of
indigenous peoples as this is evident through the establishment of the
Permanent Forum, adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the creation of the Expert Mechanism on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Our
youth also attended side events hosted by various agencies; these
included IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Climate
Change and Food Crisis, UNICEF’s event on the rights of indigenous
children, as well as a Caucus meeting regarding water. In
addition, with the help and support of Indigenous Youth Caucus, our KKF
team drafted and submitted a statement on water, which was read by Ricky
Tran, newly elected co-chair of the Indigenous Youth Caucus, at the
Permanent Forum.
Many
members of the KKF also took part in the celebration and recognition of
the Maori people, which are the Indigenous group in New Zealand. Movies, appetizers, and refreshments were enjoyed, as well as, expanded knowledge of other indigenous groups worldwide.
Though
not necessarily a part of UNPFII, UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and
Peoples Organization) extended an invitation to KKF to give a
presentation on the basic tools in forming grassroots organizations to
the Hmong and Montagnard indigenous peoples. Serey Chau, who is a
Director of the KKF Youth Committee, reiterated that we are not
politicians; rather we are human rights activists. Recognizing
that we have a lot of similar struggles, new friendships were forged
between members of KKF youth, Hmong, and Montagnard who agreed to
collaborate and stand in solidarity for future endeavors. Thus
far, this is realized through the establishment of IPIV (Indigenous
People in Vietnam) Forum on a social networking site, Facebook.
The
KKF youth also attended a meeting with the Special Rapporteur on the
Rights of Indigenous People (Professor James Anaya) to advocate for the
cessation of human rights abuse for Khmer-Krom and other indigenous
groups from Asia. Due to some administration oversights by
UNPFII this year, we did not get to specifically give our statements
regarding our unique cause, nevertheless, the team worked hard and each
left with a greater understanding and the desire to do more to help
Khmer-Krom achieve fundamental human rights.
To say I was excited about attending the United Nations would be an under statement. It
had been a topic of debate and discussion in my undergrad studies, and
to have been in the General Assembly was almost an out of body
experience for me. There was a sense of unity as I watched other indigenous groups in their traditional attire present their cases to the Forum. We
are not alone in our struggle for rights. There was great wealth of
knowledge to be taken in at the United Nations and it was a great
learning experience that I cannot get from any other place. However,
my fondest memories, which affected me the most while attending UNPFII,
was the bond that was formed between our KKF Youth group. We met Paul and Billy, who we are very grateful to for hosting us and providing our bodies with nourishments. My
favourite moment of the whole trip was when we sat around Billy and
Paul’s dining table and each of us reflected about being Khmer-Krom. We
discussed Khmer-Krom’s history and shared our own thoughts and feelings
about how each of us could contribute to move Khmer-Krom’s struggle for
freedom and other inalienable rights forward. I came to UNPFII not
knowing anybody but left with many great friends that I can now call
family.
I’ll end with a quote that inspires me by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." By: Lyben Lam
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