KAIROS / Horizons of Friendship Delegation to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, May 18-22, 2014

1. Honouring Indigenous Women’s Wisdom
KAIROS/ Horizons of Friendship Delegation to the
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, May 18-22, 2014

2. The delegates outside the UN church centre
We are all from different backgrounds, but the land has connected us
together, just as our ancestors would want it

3. Alma Brooks, Maliseet
grandmother, Wabanaki
Confederacy, New
Brunswick
I want the world to
know who we are
as Maliseet people,
the people of the
beautiful river, and
the struggle for our
water and our
land. We have to
bring these issues
to the UN.

4. And we did bring these issues to the UN

5. Ann Marie Sam, Nak’azdli
First Nation, North Central
BC
We should be making
decisions about our
land and land use, not
a government in debt.
We are going to
collect our own data
and look at impacts.
We are researching
the social and health
impacts. This way we
will be able to outline
why we are saying no.

6. Joanne Jefferson, member
of the Stó:lô Nation in
British Columbia
We are the creators of
life. This table (the
delegation) should
have the courage to
challenge these
developments. We
are learning here how
we can approach
what’s happening at
home.

7. Ana Guadalupe Matzir
Miculax , Maya Kaqchikel
Chimaltenango, Guatemala
In Guatemala there has
been an increase in
criminalization against
community leaders,
women and entire
organizations. There
has also been an
increase in repression
and assassinations and
the use of militarization
and even imposition of
state of siege to
intimidate and repress.

8. Mila Lingbawan Singson ,
Igorot Mankayan, Benguet in
the Cordillera region of
Northern Philippines.
We want to strengthen the
voices of Indigenous
peoples, especially
Indigenous women. We
are holding the real
information, because we
are experiencing these
issues.
We need to put our voices
together as Indigenous
women . We have common
problems and perspectives.

9. Doris Imayda Borst Chow,
Miskitu, Waspam, Rio Coco,
North Atlantic Autonomous
Region (RAAN) of Nicaragua.
Thanks to our ancestors we
still have our customs,
traditions, territory and
language and we have
laws that protect
Indigenous peoples . These
laws came out of a long
struggle and demonstrate
the contradictions in our
current government

10. Flora Fermina Jimenez
Ramirez , Maya Mam,
Comitancillo, San Marcos,
Guatemala.
The participation and
organization of
women revolves
around defense of
territory because their
livelihoods are
dependent on land,
natural resource and
water

11. Ebinia Santos Rodríguez ,
Ngäbe Indigenous from the
Chiriqui Province of Panama
We need to amplify
our reality by bringing
it to the UN. In
Panama despite laws
and norms, the reality
is that mega projects
are going ahead
without respect for
Indigenous rights

12. Delegates and the outgoing UN Special Rapporteur
on Indigenous Issues, James Anaya

13. Delegates and incoming UN Special Rapporteur on
Indigenous Issues Vicky Tauli- Corpuz

14. Strategic roundtable on mining and impacts on women
Delegates share testimonies of the impacts of mining on women and
women’s role in defending collective rights and the environment

15. Meeting with Kenneth Deere from the Indigenous
world association

16. Central American delegates outside the UN Building

18. Meeting with Ambassador Rishchynski from
Canada’s Permanent Mission to the UN

19. Thank you!
Thank you!