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First Nations’ delegates lead way
Back row, from left: Shane Duffy, Lisa Buxton, Peter Dawson, Mick Dodson, Boni Robinson, Brian Wyatt, Damien Miller, Geoff Scott, Mick Gooda, Katie Kiss, Eddie Cubillo, David Lee; Front row, from left: Tammy Solonec, Sandy Miller, Les Malezer, Diat Callope and Dea Delaney. Image Ben Powless, Global Coordinating Group Media Team.
by Indigenous Peoples Organisations Network Australia
A
ustralian Delegates lead the way at World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Global Preparatory Meeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Delegates to the Global Preparatory Meeting of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP), currently underway on Sami Country in Alta, Norway have taken up key leadership roles. National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples Co-Chair Les Malezer has been appointed as Pacific Bureau Member, and has been elected as Co-Chair of the Conference along with Asia Region
Delegate Vicki Tauli-Corpus. Mr Malezer’s years of experience in international advocacy for Indigenous Peoples is well regarded amongst the international Indigenous Peoples movement. The Conference, organised and hosted by the Sami Parliament is a pre-runner to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, which will occur in New York between 22-23 September 2014 as a high level plenary of the General Assembly. The Conference has attracted almost 600 Indigenous Delegates and Observers from the seven global regions of the world. Australian Delegates are participating as part of the Pacific Region and as part of the youth and
women’s caucuses. The aim of the Conference is for Indigenous Peoples to prepare for the World Conference in 2014 and for an action orientated outcomes document to be produced to influence Member States of the United Nations throughout the preparatory process and at the actual Conference. The document will be known as the Alta Declaration. There are twelve Delegates from Australia at the meeting, and a number of them hold leadership positions. Professor Mick Dodson, another experienced and respected Aboriginal leader has been appointed as rapporteur for the
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Pacific along with Mililani Trask of Hawaii. They form part of the Drafting Team. Brian Wyatt, the CEO of the National Native Title Council and Co-Chair of the Indigenous Peoples Organisation (IPO) Network was elected Co-Chair of the Pacific Caucus, along with Catherine Davis from Aotearoa (New Zealand). IPO Co-Chair Dea Delaney was appointed as Bureau Member for the Global Women’s Caucus and emerging leader Peter Dawson was elected as Co-Chair of the Youth Caucus. Other Delegates from Australia include the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, Chairperson of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services Shane Duffy, CEO of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council Geoff Scott, Director of the National Congress Tammy Solonec, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance Board Member Sandra Miller, Professor of Indigenous Policy from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium Boni Robertson, and long standing human rights advocate Diat
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Les Malezer addressing the meeting. Image: Ben Powless
Callope. Four observers from key organisations in Australia complete the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Delegation to the meeting. At the Opening Ceremony, cultural gift sharing took place where the Pacific Delegates paid respect to the Sami Peoples by giving gifts from Australia. A Maori Karanga Call and a traditional Haka Ka mate also formed part of the Pacific presentation. Les Malezer in his opening speech said: “It’s been an excellent opening
session, but now we must get down to the hard work. There is a lot to be achieved in the next few days and I think we will be setting records in terms of drafting to achieve the outcomes we are going for. The role of the Bureau is to see that this meeting is conducted successfully, looking at three particular reports. The first of course is the regional reports, the second is the outcome document and also the strategy and action plan as to how we go forward,” he said.