Starting April 19th and going until April 30th, I will be attending the 2021 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). The UNPFII is a high-level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, established July 28th, 2000. It’s mandate is to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.
Yearly meetings occur at the UN Headquarters in New York, over a 10 day period. Discussions on the 6 themes are held, in addition to a special theme focusing on current issues. The forum is made possible by the Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues, which ensures issues and ideas shared during the forums receive follow-up.
I will be joining the UNPFII meetings over the next two weeks as part of an inaugural delegation on behalf of Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC). My fellow delegates and I were chosen to represent Indigenous youth from across Canada. YDC is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes the leadership of young Canadians through international delegations, research projects, and advocacy initiatives.
Last year YDC’s application to ECOSOC was approved, opening up the opportunity to engage in other forums they previously could not access. Over the years they have sent delegates to the Y20 and Y7 forums to represent Canadian youth under their advocacy work, while under their educational work they sent delegates to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Forum, World Bank and IMF Meetings, and the World Trade Organizational Public Forums.
Knowing other friends who have been involved with YDC in the past, I knew it was one of a few organizations or groups who represented the Canadian youth experience internationally. Being part of this inaugural delegation to a forum new to YDC allows me to help shape the experience for the better of future delegations, hopefully who continue to only be made up of Indigenous youth.
Being labelled as an educational forum for YDC, I knew incorporating Youth4Nature would be instrumental in my own participation. As an Indigenous youth, education is a two way exchange where both myself and the organizations I work with must benefit. My work at Youth4Nature has been focused on Indigenous engagement to both honour my roots, but also to help create better spaces for Indigenous youth to share how important nature and climate are to us as Indigenous Peoples. Being young, I know I don’t have all the answers, but engaging in experiences like this help to further inform our work into what Indigenous youth engagement should look like and will look like at Youth4Nature.
For me, it is important to focus on Indigenous People and Indigenous youth engagement because Indigenous people have been the stewards of lands and water since time immemorial. Engaging in any topic of the environment, climate and nature needs to include the perspective of Indigenous Peoples. In most countries and regions of the world, Indigenous People have been displaced from their traditional land or have become disconnected from their duty to protect and preserve Mother Earth. Thus, no work of ours, or the wider nature and climate spaces, can be done without recognizing Indigenous Peoples and their rights, as they have continually taken care of the land and water.
In attending the UNPFII, I hope to gain a better understanding of the forum including its purpose and how outcomes are handled. Additionally, I’m curious to know how youth are involved in the space, and how we at Youth4Nature can work to ensure Indigenous People and voices are consistently engaged in our work.
To stay engaged with the forum overall, follow the official UNPFII Facebook Page and Twitter at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/unpfii
Twitter: @UN4Indigenous
For content by the YDC UNPFII Delegation follow YDC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YDCanada
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YDCanada
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ydcanada/
I also invite you to join me on Youth4Nature’s Instagram on Friday April 23rd for a takeover, all about my experiences at the UNPFII!
Learn more about Sarah and her work as Regional Director for North America at Youth4Nature.