Message to Ensure Indigenous Peoples Are Informed, Protected and Prioritized During the Global COVID-19 Pandemic
- Anne Nuorgam, Chairperson, UN
Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues -
Indigenous artists from Mutitjulu, Australia
produce public health messages on COVID-19 using
traditional art forms.
Indigenous peoples live in both urban and rural
locals and
account today for over 476 million individuals
spread across 90
countries in the world, accounting for 6.2 per
cent of the global
population. Nonetheless, our communities are
nearly three times
as likely to be living in extreme poverty, and
thus more prone to
infectious diseases. Many Indigenous communities
are already
suffering from malnutrition and immune-suppressive
conditions,
which can increase susceptibility to infectious
diseases.
 The extent of the
devastating nature and potential of COVID-19
is uncertain. Member States must protect the most
vulnerable in
our global society. I urge you to take immediate
steps to ensure
that Indigenous peoples are informed, protected
and prioritized
during the COVID-19 global health pandemic. In
this respect,
information in Indigenous languages is important
to ensure it is
accessible and followed. Of special concern are
the vulnerable
chronically ill, those in medical fragility, as
well as the Indigenous elders. The Indigenous
elders are a priority for our
communities as our keepers of history and
traditions and
cultures. We also ask Member States to ensure that
Indigenous
peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact
exercise their
right to self-determination, and their decision to
be isolated be
respected. Further, States must prevent outsiders
from entering
into their territories. Any plan or protective
measures to
address Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation
and initial
contact should be multidisciplinary and follow
agreed protocols
and international recommendations such as the
recommendations of
the Inter American Commission on Human Rights.
These are uncertain times, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues members
are exploring
different options to advance their mandate of
advising on Indigenous issues. The Permanent Forum is
committed and will work
for the future to ensure that Indigenous peoples
are engaged and
included in public health-related interventions.
We urge Member
States and the international community to include
the specific
needs and priorities of Indigenous peoples in
addressing the
global outbreak of COVID 19.
Indigenous peoples can contribute to seeking
solutions. Their
good practices of traditional healing and
knowledge, such as
sealing off communities to prevent the spread of
diseases and of
voluntary isolation, are being followed throughout
the world
today.
BC Indigenous nation blocks travel into its
territories to protect their people from
COVID-19.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 18 - May 23, 2020
Article Link:
Message to Ensure Indigenous Peoples Are Informed, Protected and Prioritized During the Global COVID-19 Pandemic - Anne Nuorgam, Chairperson, UN
Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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