Vicki Tauli Corpuz, chairperson of Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples of United Nations and executive director of Tebtebba Foundation (@ 4rth MPPM)

Vicki Tauli Corpuz, chairperson of Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples of United Nations and executive director of Tebtebba Foundation, talked on Self-determination of Peoples from the Perspective of the United Nations (@ 4rth MPPM, Basilan)


RSD is a fundamental principle of UN for international relations and of international law to strengthen universal peace for the people around the world.
She cited all international covenants of United Nations and some pertinent provisions as basis for right to self-determination. It is a right not given to states but a right given to people. In no case that people will be deprived of all means.
RSD is also stated in thee international bill of human rights. RSD is an inherent or prior right of the peoples.
People are free to determine their political status, they have the right to freely associate with chosen government and its system. It includes the right to choose to secede if the state continuously marginalized people.
Free prior and informed consent is the basic form of RSD. It included the right to dispose the resources within your territories.
She cited some historical experiences of foreign countries where its indigenous peoples are marginalized and minoritized. Even in free countries, indigenous people wage for RSD.
In Philippines, after independence it was said that “we are one country and one nation”. This is not true. RSD include the right to be distinguished and recognized as distinct people who can practice their culture and customary rights.
She discussed the importance of Permanent Forum of IPs in UN.
Corpuz said that there is a debate on word “indigenous peoples”. The latter means it has recognition of RSD that is inclusive of their territorial rights, use of resources and practice of their traditional and customary practices.
The evidences of treaties with ex-colonizers and neighboring people mean we are establishing international relations.
She also talked about the committee who drafted the Declaration for IPs Rights. Negotiation takes time. The most difficult provisions are on RSD, lands, and use of their resources.
If they were uprooted in their ancestral domains, the state is obliged to pay compensation for the damages.
Same states did not accept the provisions on RSD in said Declaration. There were 33 countries who voted for declaration; 12 abstain (including the Philippine representative to UN); 2 voted against it (Canada and New Zealand).
Philippine representative to UN abstain, thus more meetings have been done in Philippines to discuss that IPRA is consistent and is used as basis in drafting this Declaration of IPs’ rights.
There were impediments in convincing Philippines to be one of the signatory of the Declaration on IPs rights.
For Philippine representative, there are some qualified prohibitions in establishing relationships with foreign countries; and the Office of the Solicitor General argued that there is a provision in that drafted declaration that may be used by Moro people as basis for secession. SG also argued that IPs \have the right to use the resources but not to own because resources and minerals are owned by the state. Also, the Philippines have many complaints on HR cases in UN.
EU believed that the declaration is long overdue and justice must be served to IPs. The declaration must be adopted. US and Canada pressured Africa to push for the postponement of the adoption.
Adoption will be done in September 2007. PF for IPs in UN mission now is that there will be no amendments and that it will be adopted by the assembly.
This is an issue that the people need to deal on. This should be part of the negotiation with ongoing negotiations of the government.
RSD include the rights of IPs to negotiate with the government.
The recognition and peace rights will be monitored by the UN how this right be respected by government and peoples in Mindanao. May you will be able to assert your demands strongly to the government.