Summary: Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, Gender and Development

Indigenous People, Gender and Development

The meeting brought together representatives of women's organisations from DR Congo, Europe, Malukus, Niger and Peru. They established common ground, and agreed on many points, such as the importance of women for grassroots action to improve the quality of life for many of the world's indigenous populations. Mr. Adelard Blackman chaired the meeting, and his own people's experience highlighted the shared nature of many of the problems discussed. 

Mr. Adelard Blackman opened the meeting with a story about his grandmother, who was the last in a line of traditional matriarchs. He spoke of the good fortune of his people to have this type of social structure, and then described the danger threatening this way of life. In Canada, the world's third richest country, indigenous people have a quality of life ranked sixty-third on the same scale. They suffer 90% unemployment, and of Canada's various social groups, they have the highest rates of suicide and incarceration. Yet, they are surrounded by development and natural resources. Mr. Blackman said the Canadian government's rosy picture of efforts to improve life, such as moves for self-determination disguise a reality without the infrastructure to make such changes viable.

Status of indigenous women
Ms. Elly Prendervand of the Women World Summit, spoke of the joint effort between NGOs and the UN throughout the 1990s to create a programme for concrete global action on gender and development. She then announced a prize to be awarded by her foundation to Catarina Eleuterion Gomez Ixmata of Guatemala (who was present at the meeting) for her work to improve rural life. She defined 'gender roles' as socially constructed, and 'women's empowerment' as the removal of social and cultural impediments to the full participation of women in social and economic life: "Empowerment and education are synonymous", she emphasized.

This was echoed by Ms. Ann Marie Mukwayanzo of Christian Women for Democracy and Development, who spoke of the obstacles to the empowerment of Congolese women, particularly their ignorance of their rights. According to Ms. Mukwayanzo, they are kept ignorant by a combination of fear of sorcery, lack of education (exacerbated by socio-economic crises and war), bride-wealth (equating women with merchandise), and the church (“Women live for men; men live for God”). Unmarried women are considered worthless, and they fear that pursuing their studies will prevent them from being married. According to Ms. Mukwayanzo, the situation of the indigenous Pygmies is worse: considered to be sub-human and used as slaves, they have no access to education, and Pygmy women have no voice at all.

Ms. Fah Ali Abdoulay of the Organisation for the Protection of Women highlighted similar problems in Niger. The severe degradation of the environment causes problems to which women are particularly vulnerable, especially as indigenous women depend entirely on the natural environment for their living. Their cult of respect for nature is undermined by privatization and exploitation of the land, which she said is encouraged by the World Bank.

Ms. Martha Llanos from Peru spoke of women as agents of change, and suggested strategic planning could build on existing strength gathered in recent years particularly through the power of the cultural identities of indigenous peoples.

In Malukus 'development' only benefits the aggressors
Ms. Pelpina Salureka of Front Siwa-Lima RMS of Maluku, denounced the devastation caused by guerrilla warfare in recently independent Malukus. 90% of the land is devastated, and the Indonesian army has caused the deaths of 40,000 people through its sponsorship of Islamic guerrillas linked to al-Quaeda. ”Development” on others’ terms is not wanted by the indigenous population because it only benefits the aggressors. Traditional indigenous life is characterized by great respect for women, but risks being lost. For example, a first born son can use his mother's name and belong to her family, and if a man stays at home he must help with the housework.

Oppression and exclusion felt by many indigenous peoples
An indigenous representative from Latin America pointed out that all indigenous peoples shared many of the same problems, suffering oppression and exclusion. He asked for solutions, particularly in terms of what can be done to regain lost territory.

Conclusions
Mr. Blackman drew attention to the key nature of the questions of land and resources: about 90% of world resources are on indigenous territory. He concluded that forums such as the World Civil Society Forum, the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, and the UN Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples can help change the attitudes of governments and of corporations towards indigenous peoples, and contribute to pressuring them to rethink their policies.

Presenters' Documents Available

15.06_penaloza_maria.doc (23 K)
15.06_pradervand_elly.doc (59 K)

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