UN officials hear complaints of indigenous rights being ignored
Testimony: Native input lacking on developments
UN officials hear complaints of indigenous rights being ignored
By Kathy Helms March 4, 2017
Cibola County Bureau cibola@gallupindependent.com
ALBUQUERQUE — The concept of “free, prior and informed consent” referred to in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is basically not worth the paper it’s written on when it comes to energy development on tribal lands, according to testimonies presented last week to U.N. Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz.
Tauli-Corpuz and her associate Hee-Kyong Yoo listened for hours as presenters pointed to examples where “meaningful consultation” between the United States and tribal governments was sadly lacking. The regional indigenous consultation, hosted Feb. 25 by the University of New Mexico School of Law, was part of a series of U.S. consultations examining the situation of indigenous people related to energy development.
“The special rapporteur’s topic is a timely and encouraging reminder that the human rights of indigenous peoples within the United States are subject to international scrutiny,” Christine Zuni Cruz, assistant dean at the UNM School of Law, said.
