NEW YORK, May 10, 2006—A new development model – ‘development with identity’ – was called for today by Indigenous Peoples leaders and representatives of the international development community at the Conference on Poverty and Indigenous Peoples, held in New York City, May 9 – 10. Indigenous Peoples are among the poorest and most socially excluded populations in the world.
Indigenous People
There are about 250 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide
Indigenous Peoples are distinct populations in that the land on which they live, and the natural resources on which they depend, are inextricably linked to their identities and cultures.
Therefore, dispossession or restriction of access brings not only economic impoverishment but also loss of identity and threats to their cultural survival.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chair, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said that, “The goal of overcoming Indigenous Peoples’ poverty cannot be achieved without challenging the current development paradigm pursued by governments and international financial institutions. The key challenge is pursuing ‘self-determined development’ – the right to fully pursue social, environmental, and economic development. Indigenous Peoples are more aware of their rights and capable of enforcing their rights. The international development community should acknowledge these rights.”
Organized by the World Bank, in cooperation with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the conference addressed the issues behind the persistent poverty among Indigenous Peoples and how to generate opportunities for wealth creation and benefit sharing. It also aimed to deepen the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the international development community.
“This conference was an excellent step in furthering the dialogue on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples,”said Steen Jorgensen, Acting Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank.“At the World Bank, this is an opportunityto renew our commitment to support culturally appropriate and sustainable Indigenous Peoples’ development.”
“Indigenous Peoples are eager and open for this new relationship with the World Bank and the international development community,”emphasized Rebecca Adamson, President of First Peoples Worldwide, “where we do more than ‘do no harm’, but ‘do good’ for Indigenous Peoples.”
Phrang Roy, Assistant President on Special Assignment for Indigenous and Tribal Issues, International Fund for Agricultural Development, said, “We came here to listen to different voices of Indigenous Peoples. One thing that came out strongly is their desire to see that their inherent rights are acknowledged by international institutions, that Indigenous Peoples have a role as agents of change – they can make transition out of poverty if they are part of the decision making. Both the international financial institutions and Indigenous Peoples are quite serious about partnership.”
New Approach to Development
The Conference stressedthat the current, dominant development paradigm does not adequately respond to Indigenous Peoples’ development aspirations. Indigenous Peoples’ poverty-reduction goals cannot be achieved without challenging the dominant development paradigm. A new development paradigm that recognizes the principle of “development with identity” should be agreed upon and applied. Any new paradigm cannot remain a theory; it must be field-tested, adjusted on the basis of experience, and then disseminated for further replication.
Indigenous Peoples Poverty Data and Indicators
The Conference discussedthat conventional economic indicators used to measure poverty reflect neither the true extent of poverty, nor the degree of Indigenous Peoples’ well-being. These indicators, for example, do not capture Indigenous Peoples’ values. The formulation of development indicators is a very sensitive and subjective issue, and should be undertaken with the full participation of Indigenous Peoples. It may prove more meaningful to develop “indicators of well-being,” rather than the “indicators of poverty.”
Said Otilia Lux de Coti, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to UNESCO’s Executive Council, “Even though many Indigenous Peoples don’t like to focus on poverty, all the participants can learn about new guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ development. There could be a rapprochement between environment conservation communities and Indigenous Peoples on natural resources management – not concerned simply about material resources, but about well-being.”
Indigenous Peoples’ Lands and Livelihood
The Conference discussed howthe failure of states to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ rights to land is a major roadblock to Indigenous Peoples’ development – it threatens not just their livelihoods, but also endangers their cultures and spiritual practices. Obtaining rights to their land proves difficult, especially where national legislations require legal proof of ownership. Such proof has not been a traditional preoccupation of Indigenous Peoples, who often practice communal ownership of land.
According to the conference, generally speaking, Indigenous Peoples live in areas rich in resources. Ironically, although Indigenous Peoples generally live on resource-rich land, they face poverty at disproportional levels. Asset stripping and resource degradation by outsiders is a formidable problem facing Indigenous Peoples, and is exacerbated by a lack of legal title to their lands. Indigenous leaders argue that they live in ‘resource-cursed’ areas – areas that contain minerals and other commercially valued resources that outsiders seek to exploit for financial gain. Some Indigenous Peoples have conducted assets mapping to protect their resources, while other communities keep their assets confidential until they are ready to manage them independently.
“It is important that our voices are being heard,”said Lucy Mulenkei, African Indigenous Women’s Organization, “Recognition by government is vital – if your government does not recognize you, then you are shut out. For Indigenous Peoples, land is their life, but they are not recognized by their governments even though the resources are found on their land. In Africa, Indigenous Peoples’ generosity and peace have caused them problems in the past.”
The conference focused on the need to recognize the complexity and difficulty in designing and implementing culturally appropriate development for Indigenous Peoples. It also looked at institutional and political constraints, both old and new, that should be addressed so that Indigenous Peoples have equal access to opportunities, assets and services while their unique cultural heritages, identities, and knowledge are respected.
“We need to understand not only the analytics of addressing Indigenous Peoples’ poverty,”said Jorgensen, “but also their aspirations. We must support a sense of hope. Unless Indigenous People have hope for their own lives or at least for the lives of their children, we will not have sustainable development.”
The World Bank and Indigenous Peoples
Since 1992, the World Bank has financed 449 projects, involving Indigenous organizations and communities. The current portfolio contains 237 projects, with another 97 projects in the pipeline. Within the framework of the policy, OP 4.10, the World Bank is assisting Indigenous Peoples in the following through: projects in the Bank’s six regions, the Global Environmental Facility, Partnerships with other Agencies, the Indigenous Peoples Grants Facility and the Institutional Development Fund and building a knowledge base on Indigenous Peoples issues.
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For more information, including a full summary of the conference, please see the website:
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