Declaration of the International Indigenous Youth Conference (IIYC)April 17-21, 2002 Baguio City, Philippines
We, the 83 participants of the International Indigenous Youth Conference have come together at this historic gathering of Indigenous Youth from around the world to share our experiences and forge a common voice in responding to the challenges of globalizaton.
We represent the indigenous youth of the colonial borders of Australia, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Canada, United States, Finland, Norway, Russia, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. The conference was hosted by the Cordillera Peoples Alliance-Youth Commission under the theme “Building Solidarity Among Indigenous Youth in Asserting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Amidst Globalization.”
Globalization has not led to greater democracy and recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights and welfare. It has rather aggravated and institutionalised inequality, discrimination, oppression and exploitation.
The indigenous peoples continue to suffer from long standing issues such as forcible dislocations, disintegration of their distinct socio-cultural identities, the breakdown of families and communities, commodification of cultures, the onslaught of developmental aggression, militarization, religion, legislated poverty, racism and discrimination, consumerism, substance and sexual abuses and the inaccessibility of education and other social services.
The policies of neo-liberal capitalism have failed to contribute solutions to the above issues of indigenous peoples worldwide. It further intensified the exploitation of natural resources through large-scale mining, dams, mega-tourism and similar environmentally destructive industries. These policies heightened dispossession of ancestral lands and resources and the theft of intellectual property rights. Globalization has led to the increasing numbers of state instigated wars and violence against indigenous peoples.
As indigenous peoples and nations, we are at a critical point in our history to defend our right to self-determination, peoples and nations against the adverse effects of globalization and to advance rights to ancestral domains.
We shall form a solidarity network of the participants, organizations of this conference to strengthen our voice at all levels and to continue to exchange experiences of globalization and resistance.
We shall continue to raise awareness in our communities, movements and fellow indigenous and non-indigenous youth on what globalization is and its impact on indigenous peoples in particular.
We shall conduct activities to monitor and expose the activities of corporations within our communities. We shall seek ways to present the research and information into simple and effective forms for understanding the issues to generate resistance.
We shall actively propagate the conference declaration, updates on various indigenous youth issues and activities by the following
1. Build a web-page and form a directory with assistance of Red Wire, Ugnayan and the CPA-YC;
2. Create a bi-annual newsletter that will focus on the particular Indigenous Youth issues and struggles of different countries;
3. Coordinate exchange and integration programs at all levels;
4. Create and maximize venues like for a, symposia, discussion groups and others to further propagate the conference resolutions;
5. Participate in direct actions.
Finally we shall seek ways of participation in the Permanent Forum, the United Nations, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the International League of Peoples Struggles and other such fora.
