ÜROInimõiguste Nõukogu 36. sessioon
Intervention by ESTONIA
Item5: clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Genf, 20 september 2017
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Mr. President,
Estonia aligns itselfwith the EU statement.
Firstly, we would liketo thank the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Ms.Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, for presenting her latest report on the topic of climatechange. We would like to highlight the need for consultation with andparticipation of indigenous peoples in climate change mitigation processes. Wewould like to invite the Special-Rapporteur to elaborate on possible recoursesin the situation of disproportionate vulnerability of indigenous peoples toclimate change, more specifically on its gendered impact – an issue raised in thereport, whereby women and girls are more likely to be affected by climatechange, also meaning that they are more vulnerable to discrimination andexploitation.
Secondly, we would liketo thank the Chairperson Mr. Albert Kwokwo Barume and other experts of ExpertMechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) for their work and thelatest reports under the expanded mandate.
We acknowledge thereiteration in EMRIP’s annual report that an implementation gap exists betweenthe support shown by States for the Declaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples (UNDRIP) at the international level and concrete action to promote andprotect indigenous peoples’ rights at the national level.
Moreover, we appreciateand look forward to addressing the proposal by EMRIP in its annual report tothe HRC to make efforts to facilitate participation of indigenous peoples’representatives and institutions in its work, which includes this dialogue weare having now, and the preceding panel.
Finally, for severalyears Estonia contributed its expertise to the UN Permanent Forum on IndigenousIssues and we regularly provide financial support to the UN Voluntary Fund forIndigenous Populations. We call on all countries to contribute to the fund,which receives far too little input, considering the range of support they aremandated to provide. In order to enhance the actual participation ofrepresentatives of indigenous peoples in UN meetings affecting them, we herebycall on all States to contribute to this important Fund.
Thank you.