Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

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Pitfalls and Pipelines: Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries
Indigenous peoples’ representatives agreed that this
expert workshop call was necessary and timely, and therefore
proposed the holding of an international conference of
indigenous peoples on the issue of extractive industries be
convened immediately before the International Expert Group
Workshop. The two meetings therefore both took place in
Manila in March 2009 under the chairmanship of Victoria
Tauli-Corpuz, the then Chairperson of the UNPFII.
The three main objectives to the conference were:
1. To examine the social, cultural, economic, and environmental
impacts of extractive industries (oil, gas
and mining) on indigenous peoples and their lands,
and to analyze how the rights of indigenous peoples as
contained in the UNDRIP are respected or violated.
This involves sharing the various responses and actions
taken by indigenous peoples affected by the extractive
industries, and the lessons learned from these;
2. To make recommendations to States, the UNPFII, the
Inter-Agency Support Group for Indigenous Peoples
and other multilateral bodies on the roles they can play
in ensuring that the extractive industries adhere to international
standards on human rights of indigenous
peoples and standards of corporate accountability;
3. To establish a continuing mechanism for coordination
and solidarity among indigenous peoples affected by
extractive industries.
The 2009 Manila Conference was organized by Tebtebba
(Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research
and Education) and an international advisory committee,
with financial support from The Christensen Fund (TCF), the
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad),
Evangelischer Entwicklüngsdienst (EED) of Germany, Third
World Network (TWN), and the Catholic Agency for Overseas
Development (CAFOD). It was attended by 100 indigenous
peoples and support organizations from 35 countries around
the world.
A wide range of presentations was made, with detailed and
enthusiastic sharing of experiences. There were a number of
expert interventions, as well as shared panels and workshops.