IOSDE was represented by Founder and Director India Reed Bowers at the Indigenous Movement's 25-26 September 2014 parallel forum in Amsterdam in conjunction with the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held at the United Nations in New York City on 22-23 September 2014. Bowers participated in panels discussing presenting on Access to Justice under the theme 'Specific Cases of Indigenous Peoples and EMRIP' and first-hand feedback on the WCIP and what organizations can do under the theme 'Plan of Action: How can the EU and other Organizations Promote the Protection of Indigenous Peoples Rights'. The evening of the 25th was spent in an arranged circle dialogue on decolonization.

Full agenda for the parallel conference days can be found here.

Photos below from Indigenous Movement; for more photos click here.

Thank you, Indigenous Movement!

IOSDE represented at the UN General Assembly's High Level Plenary Session also known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) this 22-23 September 2014. The plenary session Outcome Document, in the form of a General Assembly Resolution, can be found here.

IOSDE welcomes the mentions of violence against Indigenous women in the Outcome Document, however we regret that the Outcome Document makes no mention of self-determination, a fundamental right of Indigenous Peoples that is most violated by States and past, present and ongoing colonization. IOSDE also notes the absence of mention of either colonialism or decolonization in the General Assembly Resolution Outcome document. These vital legal matters were addressed in the Indigenous Alta Outcome Document of the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference for the WCIP held on 10-12 June 2013 in Alta, Norway/Sapmi. These topics were eliminated in negotiations for a final UN Outcome Document.

For IOSDE's intervention at UN EMRIP in Geneva in July 2014 concerning the lack of mention of self-determination in the first draft of the WCIP Outcome Document released click here.