"Indigenous People's Statement - ASEAN People's Forum 2019," 12 September  2019

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) clearly describes the collective and individual rights of indigenous peoples and the obligation of states to respect, protect and fulfill these rights. However, as noted below, the realities on the ground indicate that ASEAN member states have failed to implement the UNDRIP.

Recommendations

In above context, we recommend that:

• ASEAN Member States respect the spirit of international human rights declarations and conventions and implement their obligations, including under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the ILO Convention 169, the ICCPR, the ICESCR, the Convention against Torture and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
• Ensure legal recognition of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources and traditional occupations of indigenous peoples.
• Stop corporate investments that violate the rights of indigenous peoples to land, territories and resources. Ensure genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of indigenous peoples for any intervention in their communities.
• Stop militarization, forced evacuation and relocation of indigenous communities that are being implemented by states in the name of development and nature conservation. Prevent conflict, especially horizontal conflict between indigenous peoples and local communities related with land, territories and resources
• Stop the criminalization of traditional occupations and fully protect traditional livelihoods as decent work and provide appropriate basic social services to remote communities.
• Ensure the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of indigenous peoples, particularly regarding economic growth projects, plans and programmes affecting them.
• Ensure ecological sustainable and equitable governance, management and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems through the recognition of Indigenous Peoples, our rights and responsibilities to our territories and peoples and our self-determined conservation initiatives
• Respect digital privacy and security of individuals and refrain from using social media to violate the rights if indigenous peoples. Stop mis-information operations by government.