Ambassador Chartier attends General Assembly of the Orgranization of the American States

June 24, 2023

Ambassador Clément (Clem) Chartier of the MMF, the National Government of the Red River Métis and President of the American Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) attended the 53^rd sitting of the OAS GA which took place in Washington DC from June 21 - 23, 2023.

Ambassador Chartier made the oral intervention on behalf of the Indigenous Coalition (Americas-wide informal representatives) during the session between Civil Society/Social Actors and OAS Secretary General, His Excellency Luis Almagro and the GA State Member representatives. In the Intervention the Coalition called upon the General Assembly to approve the resolution put forward by Guatemala and several friendly countries calling for the establishment of a Working Group as the mechanism to monitor the implementation of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (ADRIP) which the General Assembly adopted in 2016. To date, both Canada and the United States have not endorsed the Declaration.

The March 2023 meeting in Guatemala between Indigenous representatives and member States which resulted in agreement to propose the adoption of the Working Group can be found in the March 28^th posting.

On the last day of the GA, the delegates approved an omnibus resolution on Human Rights which contained the Working Group Resolution, so it is now officially part of the mechanisms through which the OAS Secretariat operates.

During the session, Ambassador Chartier had an opportunity to meet with the Hon. Mélanie Joly, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister and discussed the merits or reasons why Canada should endorse the Declaration and become involved in the Working Group, or to at least participate in some way as Canada has a lot to offer. This is particularly so, as Canada has in 2021 endorsed the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by legislation and last week, on June 21^st released its UNDRIP Action Plan for the implementation of UNDRIP. Minister Joly listened attentively and indicated that she would look into the matter.

Ambassador Chartier also met with Ambassador Hugh Adsett and they agreed to convene a meeting in the near future to discuss international matters, and explore how the Canadian Mission to the OAS in Washington could be of assistance in our international efforts.

Finally, Ambassador Chartier had a brief discussion with Secretary General Almagro who again expressed his interest in coming to Canada for a visit which MMF, the National Government of the Red River Métis is prepared to host.

Coalition of Indigenous Nations and Organizations Dialogue Session of the 53rd OAS General Assembly

June 21, 2023

As representatives of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, we once again remind all delegations to the OAS General Assembly that the Indigenous peoples of the Americas (Abya Yala) are completely distinct from Civil Society organizations. We would also like to remind everyone here today that the situation of Indigenous peoples continues to worsen. Our leaders are criminalized, our peoples suffer high rates of poverty, megaprojects pollute our sources of life and consultation protocols continue to be ignored.

Today we will not repeat what we have been stating for decades. Today we want to extend our thanks to the government of Guatemala, the OAS and PAHO for implementing part of the 2017 Plan of Action, which convened a meeting to explore a monitoring mechanism for the implementation of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in 2016.

The Indigenous representatives in attendance, while concerned about the potential outcome, reached a consensus with the State delegations, which is a monitoring and evaluation mechanism. We hope that this proposed mechanism will be approved by this General Assembly in the course of the following days.

By moving forward with this proposed mechanism, and with the proposed full engagement of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, we can at least state that we are acting collectively to realize the fundamental human rights of Indigenous peoples, based on the recognition of the specific rights of Indigenous peoples, as enshrined in the Declaration and the proposed mechanism for its realization.

For us, the Declaration, the Plan of Action and the proposed mechanism for monitoring the full and proactive implementation of the Declaration by governments are key to our collective success and well-being.

Nevertheless, to be as successful as possible, we call on member States, including Canada and the United States, to actively participate, both in support of the Declaration and its Plan of Action, and in the initiatives to be undertaken by the proposed Working Group. This includes providing financial resources so that the Working Group can carry out its mandate. This must be a priority.

We trust that the Member States of the General Assembly will take a strong position, supporting the establishment of the Working Group and participating fully in its work.

Thank you.