“Although we have become better at talking about indigenous peoples, through declarations, policies or legislation, there remains a major gap between words and actions”, said Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in UN DESA, reflecting the tone of statements made before the Third Committee on 20 October.

Mr. Thomas Gass presented the final report of the Secretary-General on the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People on behalf of UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Mr. Wu Hongbo.

This year marks the end of the Second Decade, which was declared by the UN General Assembly in 2004 and aimed to draw attention and provide concrete action to address the development challenges facing indigenous peoples around the world.

“The implementation of the Second Decade has achieved some major successes” said Mr. Gass, referring to the adoption by the General Assembly of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007 as the most notable success.

“However”, he warned, a “substantial gap” remains between recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples and implementation on the ground. “Much more remains to be done” Mr. Gass concluded.

In referring to some of the shortcomings of the Second Decade, Mr. Gass referenced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), criticizing that “while Member States have put significant effort into MDG attainment, indigenous peoples have remained largely invisible in the process”.

Looking towards the future, Mr. Gass recommended the establishment of a third international decade focused on the full and effective implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in order to bring consistent and renewed commitment to issues affecting indigenous peoples.

Indigenous peoples cannot be left out of world development agenda

Echoing these views, Ms. Victoria Tauli Corpuz, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – who was presenting her first report to the UN General Assembly – stressed that “huge challenges in the implementation of the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples remain”.

Ms. Tauli Corpuz praised advances at the international level that have moved away from “assimilationist” and “integrationist” models for development of indigenous peoples, noting that these “failed to take into account the diversity of human livelihoods, cultures and concepts of well-being”.

Highlighting the deep ongoing challenges in addressing indigenous peoples’ disadvantage in nearly all of the countries in which they live, the Special Rapporteur stressed that indigenous peoples must be front and centre in the design of and control over development initiatives.

“Strengthening indigenous peoples’ own strategies for sustainable development is not only key to achieving their economic, social and cultural rights, but it is also an indispensable element of the global efforts to achieve sustainable development”, she said.

At the same time, the Special Rapporteur criticized “the failure of the international community” to use the Millennium Development Goals to address concerns of indigenous peoples in the context of development. “Based on available data regarding social and economic conditions of indigenous peoples”, she noted, “it is evident that the MDGs did not address or resolve” the continued situation of disadvantage of indigenous peoples.

Speaking to Member States, Ms. Tauli Corpuz stressed that she remains “deeply concerned that the particular situation of indigenous peoples often remains invisible within national statistics”.

The Special Rapporteur expressed her hope that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be used to respond to indigenous peoples aspirations for self-determined development and to achieve equality in development outcomes.

General debate focuses on advancements at national level

During the general debate, Member States referred to specific advancements in the legal, policy and administrative frameworks concerning indigenous peoples at the national levels. Several highlighted the need to harmonize national laws and policies with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Member States also welcomed the recent World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, the first time the UN had organized such an event, a huge gathering of States, indigenous peoples representatives and others in New York last month, and emphasized the importance of the adoption and implementation of the conference Outcome Document.

The Third Committee heard interventions from 38 speakers, which included 33 individual member countries.