§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any statements they have made in the inter-sessional working group of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the draft declaration; and what steps they are taking to mark the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, being celebrated between 1995–2004. [HL4872]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples is still under negotiation. The UK Government have substantial concerns with the current draft, including the fact that it seeks to grant collective rights to indigenous people. We continue to consult on how we might best overcome some of these difficulties and to ensure that a useful declaration is agreed. The UK hopes that progress can be achieved at the next session of the working group to this end.
The reports of the working group can be found on the UN website at http://www.ohchr.org.
We are not planning any particular events to mark the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People but we continue to fund projects in support of indigenous people.