Jakarta, IO – Indonesian social justice activist Nukila Evanty attended the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York on Apr 17-28, 2023. The Forum was established by the UN General Assembly on Jul 28, 2000, through Resolution 2000/22, with a mandate to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The forum is held annually between April and May. The Permanent Forum consists of 16 experts and is attended by indigenous peoples’ organizations, academics, human rights activists, representatives of UN special agencies and representatives of member countries. Every representative can attend a session of the Permanent Forum as an observer and deliver a 3–5 minute statement according to the agenda.
This year, Nukila participated in the forum after being selected by UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. She became a panelist on the Apr 17 session, titled “Advancing the Implementation of CEDAW’s General Recommendation 39 (GR39) on Indigenous Women and Girls”, held at the UN Headquarters Room CR-4.
The theme was raised because, in 2004, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues urged the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to begin to develop and adopt a general recommendation on indigenous women.
In Oct 2022, CEDAW finally adopted General Recommendation 39 on the rights of Indigenous Women and Girls (GR39). The adoption is a landmark achievement for indigenous women and girls and indigenous peoples worldwide, considering the multiple forms of discrimination they face.
The Panel aimed to raise awareness of the situation faced by indigenous women and girls and indigenous women human rights defenders around the world, and to discuss and develop strategies to advance the implementation of the GR39.
“The GR39 recommendation must be addressed, because intersectional discrimination against indigenous women and girls must be understood in the context of the multifaceted nature of their identity. Indigenous women and girls are often related to their people, forests, lands, territories, cultures and natural resources. Surely, similar discrimination and gender-based violence that we face are frequently committed by state and non-state actors like businesses/corporates,” explained Nukila, the chairwoman of Indigenous Peoples’ Initiatives (IMA).