UNITED NATIONS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY: ENHANCING THE PARTICIPATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ REPRESENTATIVES AND INSTITUTIONS IN MEETINGS OF RELEVANT UNITED NATIONS BODIES ON ISSUES AFFECTING THEM
06 September 2024
STATEMENT BY: H.E. MR JAMES LARSEN, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF AUSTRALIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
As delivered
Thank you very much indeed President.
Australia is pleased to see this resolution adopted by consensus, which provides a forward roadmap to take practical steps required for enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples in the UN.
We thank very much the delegations of Canada and Peru for their efforts in leading us in this process.
A more peaceful, prosperous, healthy, and sustainable world cannot be achieved without the full, effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous women and girls, have the right to participate and take a leading role in decisions that affect them, and it is our responsibility as member states to facilitate their participation in these halls.
Enhancing the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations implements the recognized right of Indigenous Peoples, and all peoples, to self-determination, which has been affirmed and reaffirmed on multiple occasions by this Assembly.
We welcome the decision adopted in this resolution to further consider measures to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples, and we stress the importance of ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ from all regions of the world are included in this process from the outset.
We regret that the final resolution did not contain an operative paragraph that requests the President of the General Assembly to convene a workshop that would have initiated and facilitated further discussion on enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations.
However, in the spirit of compromise, we are pleased that this resolution was adopted by consensus, and we look forward to continuing these important discussions to elevate the valuable and important voices of Indigenous Peoples in our forums.