A/HRC/27/64
in the years to come. Therefore, it was crucial that indigenous peoples’ rights be taken into
consideration. The agenda must firmly reflect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, particularly the rights to self-determination, to freely pursue their
economic, social and cultural development, to determine and develop priorities and
strategies for exercising the right to development and to participate in decision-making. The
Chair-Rapporteur further emphasized the importance of indigenous peoples’ involvement in
national action plans, policies and programmes resulting from this international
commitment.
29.
This was followed by a presentation by a staff member of OHCHR’s Millennium
Development Goals section, who provided an overview of the post-2015 process to date,
including the importance of integrating human rights dimensions. She identified five
critical human rights elements to be included in the development agenda, as follows:
(a) freedom from want (aligning socioeconomic goals with economic, social and cultural
rights); (b) freedom from fear (including civil and political rights, such as political
participation, access to justice, and personal security); (c) leaving no one behind, through
the application of equality and non-discrimination; (d) ensuring international policy
coherence (through strong global partnerships and international reforms based on the right
to development); and (e) effective accountability through a strong framework.
30.
The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples then made a statement
which focused on the need to fully integrate indigenous peoples’ perspectives, through their
full and effective participation in all related processes, including the open-ended working
group. She noted that indigenous representatives were asserting the need for a fourth pillar
in development, namely culture, to be added to the existing three pillars of economic, social
and environmental development. Indigenous peoples were advancing the need for
indicators of well-being and sustainability to be used as measures of development, rather
than relying on economic indicators. Furthermore, indigenous peoples were calling for the
use of the terminology “indigenous peoples” rather than “indigenous and local
communities” throughout the new sustainable development goals. Whereas in an earlier
draft, goal 16 of the draft sustainable development goals had included a reference to
indigenous peoples, and had also included the term “free” in the phrase “free, prior and
informed consent”, the term “free” had been removed in the present version of the zero
draft. Both of those references should be reinserted. Furthermore, indigenous peoples’
concerns should be integrated throughout the goals. Ms. Tauli Corpuz urged States and the
Expert Mechanism to work towards ensuring that these concerns relating to the lack of
recognition of indigenous peoples and their rights were addressed.
31.
Joseph Itongwa, of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee and
the Integration Programme for the Development of the Pygmy Peoples in Kivu, presented a
regional and national perspective on indigenous peoples’ involvement in the post-2015
development agenda based on his experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He
outlined the challenges facing indigenous peoples in Africa in terms of development,
including denial of their recognition as indigenous peoples, and marginalization of their
participation in political life and in their access to health and education services. He
indicated that the involvement of indigenous peoples was necessary in the development of
national plans for the implementation of international development goals, and highlighted
the importance of dialogue between States and indigenous peoples.
32.
Mr. Tsykarev referred to the World Conference on Youth, which had been held in
Colombo in May 2014 with the specific theme of mainstreaming youth in the post-2015
development agenda. The Colombo Declaration had been presented to the United Nations
General Assembly for consideration, and Mr. Tsykarev noted that it encouraged States to
allocate budgetary support to the creation of more and decent job opportunities for
indigenous youth, and to develop programmes and policies aimed at eradicating violence
9