December 10, 2009, marked the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global enunciation of human rights.  These are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.  Examples of these rights include but are not limited to the right to life, the right to economic, social and cultural rights, the right to water, the right to food, and the right to education.

In January 2009, the Human Rights Council issued a study on the relationship between climate change and human rights.  Chapter 2 of this report is titled “Implications for the Enjoyment of Human Rights”.

“Climate change, together with pollution and environmental degradation, poses a serious threat to indigenous peoples, who often live in marginal lands and fragile ecosystems which are particularly sensitive to alterations in the physical environment.  Climate change-related impacts have already led to the relocation of Inuit communities in polar regions and affected their traditional livelihoods. Indigenous peoples inhabiting low-lying island States face similar pressures, threatening their cultural identity which is closely linked to their traditional lands and livelihoods.

Indigenous peoples have been voicing their concern about the impacts of climate change on their collective human rights and their rights as distinct peoples.  In particular, indigenous peoples have stressed the importance of giving them a voice in policymaking on climate change at both national and international levels and of taking into account and building upon their traditional knowledge.  As a study cited by the IPCC in its Fourth Assessment Report observes, “Incorporating indigenous knowledge into climate change policies can lead to the development of effective adaptation strategies that are cost-effective, participatory and sustainable”.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples sets out several rights and principles of relevance to threats posed by climate change. Core international human rights treaties also provide for protection of indigenous peoples, in particular with regard to the right to self-determination and rights related to culture. The rights of indigenous peoples are also enshrined in ILO Convention No. 169 (1989) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries.

Indigenous peoples have brought several cases before national courts and regional and international human rights bodies claiming violations of human rights related to environmental issues. In 2005, a group of Inuit in the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic presented a case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights seeking compensation for alleged violations of their human rights resulting from climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions from the United States of America. While the Inter-American Commission deemed the case inadmissible, it drew international attention to the threats posed by climate change to indigenous peoples. ”

We, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ representatives from around the world participating in the ongoing climate change meeting under the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) condemns the violations of our rights in the ongoing negotiations on climate change.  On the occasion of Human Rights Day we seize this opportunity to call on all State Parties to respect our fundamental rights in these negotiations.

The climate crisis threatens our very survival, particularly forest-dependent, ice-dependent peoples, peoples in voluntary isolation, and the indigenous peoples of small island states and local communities.

Although we are the most affected by climate change effects our voices, our propositions, on the various negotiating texts are currently being ignored because not only are we kept outside the room but no one is listening to the cries and suffering of our peoples.

The IIPFCC affirms our global unity and solidarity to realize the enjoyment of our collective rights and the recognition of our vision, indigenous knowledge and our contributions in solving the climate change crisis.

On December 10, 2009, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) launched a petition called “I Respect Human Rights! Human Rights Day 2009”.   The petition reads- 

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, 10 December 2009, I affirm my commitment to the universal human rights, including the human rights of Indigenous Peoples as embodied in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  Sign our petition online at –

http://www.petitiononline.com/IPRights/petition.html