B4-1415/95

Resolution on the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolution of 19 January 1995 on the international decade of the world's indigenous peoples, and in particular paragraph 7 thereof,

A.having regard to the draft UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, as adopted by the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1992/2/Add.1), which was the outcome of annual meetings over more than ten years between specially appointed experts and representatives of indigenous peoples from all over the world,

B.having regard to the establishment of an open-ended working group of the UN Human Rights Commission to draw up a draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,

C.concerned at the continued violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in all parts of the world,

D.aware of the need for an international agreement to defend all rights of indigenous peoples,

E.aware of the need to take account in international trade agreements of the living conditions of indigenous peoples, as already stated in its abovementioned resolution of 19 January 1995 in which it 'calls on the Council and Commission to include special paragraphs on indigenous peoples in future trade and cooperation agreements between the European Union and third countries in order to guarantee their rights',

F.noting the wide support of indigenous peoples for the draft Declaration in its present form,

1.Welcomes the upcoming meeting of the open-ended working group which will take place in Geneva from 20 November to 1 December 1995;

2.Urges the EU Member States participating in the open-ended working group to demand that the draft drawn up by the UN Working Group of Indigenous Populations be accepted as a basis for further discussion;

3.Calls on the Council to take a common position on the draft Declaration;

4.Asks the UN to work out procedures that allow maximum participation of indigenous peoples in the further discussion of the Declaration;

5.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the UN and the UN Centre for Human Rights.