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Meet the Delegates |
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Lucy Mulenkei
(Indigenous Information Network (IIN), Kenya |
What are your expectations regarding this year’s GCSF?
"I expect to see more action-oriented decisions, especially from the ministerial conference. In Kenya, and Africa in general, indigenous groups and communities have been marginalized and viewed very negatively for a long time. IP have been discriminated when it comes to development. They now need to be given a voice. The only convention that has so far recognized IP is the convention on biodiversity. I expect the government to recognize IP and their role in addressing policy issues and in terms of environmental conservation. Indigenous Peoples are on the ground and best placed to understand problems. They are the people who have early warnings, they know when the rain is coming, for example. They should therefore be totally involved and consulted, and their views sought all the time. Let the relevant bodies not just look at the scientists, academicians and other people who are at the top level. This is very critical for us - IP’s voice can make immense contribution to the UN Reforms as well as for attainment of MDGs." |
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Fiu Mataese Elisara Laulu
Ole SiosioMaga Society Inc. Samoa |
Which environmental threats do you consider most challenging for your own region?
Climate change: “most of our countries are low-laying islands and the issue of climate change is real” (® “I am glad that the recent G8 is finally coming out with some very strong positive statements about human induced climate change because we have been saying that for so many years but they don’t seem to hear us until climate change is impacting on their own societies; the nature has to come to actually correct them and prove to them that this is indeed happening.”)
Climate change as an issue of equity and justice: questioning the right of rich countries to continuously emit green-house gases and to not take upon the burden for that (® “If in the likelihood of countries going under water, peoples getting environmental refugees, thereby losing their sovereignty as nations under the United Nations Charta we are questioning some of those countries being accountable for this - you are basically talking about a nation destroying another nation, a whole culture and its people.”) |
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Paul Kanyinke Sena
Indigenous Peoples of Africa coordination (IPACC), Kenya |
Do you, as an indigenous person, believe it is important to engage with UNEP? Why?
"The involvement of UNEP is very crucial. Indigenous issues are at the global level. UNEP brings together governments from all over the world to discuss issues and through such meetings we actually see governments agreeing and recognizing that there are indigenous peoples who live in their countries. However these issues are never discussed extensively nor recognized significantly at the grass root level and at the country level. IP are only discussed at the international level, yet they are a community still living within the ecosystems in the environment, with very close relationships with the environment.
UNEP being an environment body, it’s actually very important for it to not only be inviting us for meetings like this, which we are very thankful for, because it is a step in the right direction, but to build our capacities more so that when we attend meetings like this, it’s not just a matter of listening, but we should also have the ability to disseminate that information to the people on the ground.
Environmental issues, as you know, are connected to other issues such as poverty, water and a lot of other issues, and the UN itself is involved in all these issues, so UNEP can actually help us to mainstream IP’s concerns and all these other issues, as actually was stated by the UN special rapporteur of the rise of IP during his recent visit to Kenya. We recognize that it is very very important for IP and UNEP to come closer together and understand each other more.
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