SYRIAC UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE SPEAKS AT THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE IN GENEVA: 3rd Session

3rd Session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
United Nations Office in Geneva
12-16 July, 2010

From 12-16 July 2010, the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN EMRIP) held its Third Session at the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG). The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA) sent two UN NGO Delegates, Mr. Basil Oezkaya from Germany and Ms. Shamiram Youssef from Sweden (see photo), to represent the Aramean (Syriac) people at this important international forum. Among others, they discussed with high-level officials some issues of concern to indigenous peoples, especially the lack of official recognition of the Aramean people in Turkey.

SUA DELIVERED ORAL STATEMENT
On Wednesday 14 July, SUA’s NGO Delegate Ms. Youssef (see photo, below) submitted an oral statement to the EMRIP Session on “Active Participation of Indigenous Peoples in Decision Making Processes.” After the EMRIP has  selected the most useful recommendations, it will present a full report to the Human Rights Council (HRC) in the second half of September 2010.  
The HRC was established by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 and consists of 47 states who are responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights around the world. The EMRIP, in turn, reports directly to and was created by the HRC on 14 December 2007 as a new mechanism within the UN system to protect and advance the rights of indigenous peoples. In recent years, in addition to attending UN General Assembly meetings, SUA has regularly participated in sessions of the HRC and in key forums like the EMRIP, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the UN Forum on Minority Issues which promote the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples.

Addressed to the Chairman of this EMRIP Session, Mr. José Carlos Morales Morales from Costa Rica, SUA offered four (4) recommendations to improve the legal status of indigenous peoples based on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). From our practical experience as a neglected indigenous people, who have never been able to participate actively or equally in decision-making processes in the homeland, SUA’s proposals to the EMRIP and the HRC were as follows:

1. to find still more efficient ways within the UN through which indigenous peoples, and especially those whose cultural heritage and identity are being seriously endangered, can attain official recognition from nation-states which refuse to do so,
    
2. to instruct the governments and mainstream media of such nation-states about the benefits of both acknowledging their indigenous peoples and implementing the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples;
    
3. to distinguish between recognized and unrecognized indigenous peoples, and give special attention to the marginal role of unrecognized indigenous peoples in nation-states;
    
4. to convince nation-states to allow an interventionist role by the UN on behalf of recognized and especially unrecognized indigenous peoples with the intention of protecting, developing and promoting them and their fundamental rights. (Download full text)
    

SUA MEETS DEPUTY UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

The HRC has three mutually complimentary mechanisms dealing with native peoples. In addition to the EMRIP which deals with thematic studies, and the UNPFII which serves as an advisory body on thematic issues, the “Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people” focuses on specific problem situations or situations in which there is progress towards implementing the rights of indigenous peoples in specific cases.

During the recent UNPFII in New York (19-30 April 2010), SUA had already exchanged communication with the UN Special Rapporteur, Mr. James Anaya. This time, he sent his Legal Adviser, Ms. Maia Campbell, to discuss with SUA in Geneva the human rights issues faced by the Arameans.                                                  

At this fruitful meeting, SUA requested that the Special Rapporteur visits Turkey in order to write an updated report on the human rights situation in the country in general as well as on the conditions, (lack of) legal position and future prospects of the Aramean people in the southeastern countryside. Ms. Campbell was reminded of the fact that there were no such reports issued by the UN in the last decade. Therefore, SUA appealed to the Special Rapporteur to bring this to the attention of the HRC and to call upon Turkey to recognize the Arameans (whose history in Turkey spans over 3,000 years), as indigenous people, just like the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has rightfully and sensibly done by adopting the historic Resolution 1704 in January of this year.

OTHER FRUITFUL MEETINGS

Special mention needs to be made of a most constructive dialogue with the President of the EMRIP, Mr. José Carlos Morales from Costa Rica (see photo, below). SUA’s UN NGO Delegates, Mr. Oezkaya and Ms. Youssef, brought basically the same issues to his attention as to the UN Special Rapporteur.

The SUA representatives further met with Ms. Reem Mazzawi from the UN Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section with the purpose of seeking advice on existing UN mechanisms which may be helpful for the Arameans to improve their fundamental rights as an indigenous people in the Middle East.

SUA’s UN NGO delegation had additional meetings with several state officials in order to inform them about issues of concern to indigenous peoples. Especially regarding the persistent lack of recognition of the Aramean people by the Turkish Government, which endorsed the UNDRIP in 2007.

SUA’s envoy also successfully exchanged information with delegates of recognized and unrecognized indigenous peoples, and plans to increase cooperation with their organizations and representatives. There is clearly much mutual understanding, respect, sympathy and solidarity among the indigenous peoples as well as a strong will to cooperate with each other to advance the common rights.  

Finally, SUA’s UN NGO Delegates participated in a documentary to be produced by representatives of several indigenous peoples. Ms. Youssef was filmed while reading aloud an article of the UNDRIP. The documentary is expected to be released in September 2010.