General Statement: A/HRC/27/L.22 on Indigenous peoples
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
As Delivered by Ambassador Keith Harper
U.S. Representative to the Human Rights Council
UN Human Rights Council – 27th Session
Geneva
September 25, 2014
The United States is pleased to co-sponsor the Resolution on Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous peoples around the world face grave challenges, and the United States is committed to addressing these challenges both at home and abroad through actions aimed at advancing indigenous peoples’ development.
We welcome the resolution’s reference to promoting indigenous peoples’ participation in the UN and to have the concerns of indigenous peoples considered in the post-2015 development agenda.
We would like to note our concerns about the lack of inclusiveness surrounding the August 2014 Cochabamba conference, mentioned in OP 7 of the resolution. Because the meeting was announced on very short notice, many member states and indigenous governments and representatives could not participate.
In order to further improve the situation of indigenous peoples, the United States believes that we must focus on the promotion and protection of both the human rights of indigenous individuals and the collective rights of indigenous peoples, and is pleased that the resolution covers both these topics in various ways.