The document discusses the negative impacts of militarism on indigenous peoples around the world. Militarism has led to the pollution of ancestral lands from weapons use and waste dumping. It has also enabled the taking of indigenous lands and natural resources without consent. The document calls for development aid and security assistance to be guided by human rights and gives priority to local actors and civil society in resolving conflicts. It recommends donor countries strengthen democratic approaches to security and reform international institutions to better manage conflicts.

1. AIDING MILITARISM
By ATAMA KATAMA
PACOS Trust Sabah, Malaysia
Presented at CSO Forum Nairobi,
29th November 2016

2. Brief Background
According to the United
Nations, there are
approximately 400 million
Indigenous Peoples worldwide,
making up more that 5,000
distinct tribes. Together we are
one of the largest minority
group in the world, spanning
over 90 countries. While
Indigenous Peoples total only
about 6% of the worlds
population, we represent 90%
of the cultural diversity.
Indigenous Peoples hold 20%
of the earth’s land mass. That
land harbors 80% of the worlds
remaining biodiversity.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

3. Brief Background
In nearly every region of the world,
indigenous peoples are being
displaced and severely impacted by
violence and militarism. Militarism in
indigenous territories presents a
direct threat to the lifestyle and
survival of indigenous peoples and
has significant effects on indigenous
communities. These adverse effects
include: the pollution of ancestral and
sacred lands, forests and waters as
well as the destruction of wildlife in
impacted areas; the dumping of
toxic, including nuclear, waste, which
renders indigenous lands
unproductive, and the use of
explosives and landmines, which
contaminate the land and cause
injuries, mutilations and death
among the civilian indigenous
population. (WGIP (2006), paras. 11,
12 and 13)
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

4. Brief Background
Militarism to gain control
over Indigenous Peoples
lands, territories and
waters and all natural
resources therein, in
violation of Indigenous
Peoples rights to free prior
informed consent (FPIC),
and without restitution or
compensation. The
remaining biodiversity in
the world are in indigenous
lands, territories and
waters.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

5. AID & Militarism
Aid is not a “carrot” for
imposing conditions to
resolve conflict. Imposed
conditions, particularly
those relating to policy
prescriptions, are
incompatible with
democratic governance
and local ownership of
processes to establish
policies for peace.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

6. AID & Militarism
Any terms in an aid
relationship must be
fairly and transparently
negotiated with
participation and
accountability to people
living in poverty and in
line with the principles of
international human
rights and humanitarian
law.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

7. AID & Militarism
Donor mechanisms for a
whole-of-society
coordination of defense,
diplomacy and
development policy in
zones of conflict must
give priority to the
humanitarian interests of
people affected by
conflict, not the security
interests of the donor
states.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

8. AID & Militarism
Conflict prevention
and peace operations
should explicitly
protect the space for
independent
humanitarian and civil
society actors, clearly
separate from military
forces on the ground.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

9. AID & Militarism
As militarism grows in
response to an
increasingly unstable
world and threatens
instead to take the world
into greater instability
and war, the rights of the
poor need to be
championed as we work
together for peace and
development.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

10. AID & Militarism
In the context of
conflict, development
cooperation must be
even more clearly
guided by binding
obligations under
international human
rights instruments and
agreements and must
be the framework for
building improved
donor coherence;
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

11. AID & Militarism
According to the UNHCR-
Philippines, from March to
September 2015, thirteen (13)
Lumad leaders, activists,
community members that includes
children were killed in 5 incidents of
extrajudicial killings and 4
massacres. There were at least 6
incidents of forced evacuations
from the provinces of Sarangani,
Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, and
Surigao Del Sur that involved more
than 4,000 individuals, mostly
indigenous peoples. They fled their
homes and communities, out of fear
of death and military presence in
their lands. At present, over 5,000
IPs are known to remain displaced
and many communities at risk of
displacement.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

12. SDG # 16 and Militarism
RECCOMMENDATIONS

13. Reccommendation
Give primacy to human
rights: donors must carry
out their development
cooperation, including all
actions relating to conflict
prevention, intervention
and reconstruction,
guided by their binding
obligations under
international human rights
instruments and
agreements.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

14. Give primacy to local actors
for peace: donors must
recognize democratic
national actors, including
local civil society working for
peace, as the owners and
drivers of the resolution of
conflicts. Democratic
national actors, including
local civil society, are the
owners and drivers for the
resolution of conflict and
people-centered
approaches to security must
be strengthened.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

15. Protect the integrity of aid for
poverty eradication.
Improve donor coherence,
consistent with human rights
obligations.
All avenues for promotion of peace
must be exhausted and the UN
system reformed for effective
democratic multilateral resolution of
conflict.
Reform the UN and International
Financial Institutions (IFIs) for
democratic, multilateral
management of conflict.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

16. Strengthen people-centered
approaches to security:
security assistance by donor
countries and the
democratic reform of the
security sector must be
governed first and foremost
by their obligations under
domestic and international
human rights instruments
and provisions, and they
must be transparent,
accountable and screened
for potential human rights
impacts.
Open pit mining in
Indonesia

17. Thank you!