Interactive Dialogue with EMRIP
Agenda Items 3 and 5
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
As Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor
Human Rights Council – 51th Session
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States works to advance equality and opportunity for members of U.S. tribes. Our efforts are rooted in the President’s respect for the nation-to-nation relationship, commitment to fulfilling U.S. trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, and to honor tribal sovereignty.
Tribes prioritize treaty-protected rights to access and use natural and cultural resources, as this affects their subsistence, economic well-being, health, and education. Many treaties protect both the right to access natural resources and the resources themselves from degradation.
In 2021 seventeen U.S. federal agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to affirm their commitment to protect Tribal treaty rights, reserved rights and similar Tribal rights to natural and cultural resources. The agencies commit to consult and coordinate with federally recognized tribes, as appropriate, on actions such as:.
Developing a database of all treaties between the U.S. government and tribal nations.
Continuing efforts to integrate consideration of tribal treaty rights and reserved rights into federal decision-making and regulatory processes at an early stage.
Developing, improving and sharing resources to identify, analyze, and understand tribal treaty rights and reserved rights that may be impacted or otherwise affected by agency decision-making, regulatory processes, or other actions.
The signatories will submit a progress report to the White House Council on Native American Affairs.
Question: On the suggestion to establish an international mechanism to enforce treaties regarding indigenous peoples, what would this mechanism look like?
I thank you.
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