Statement by: Mr David Hamer, Adviser, Australian Mission to the UN

As delivered

Thank you Chair.

We are pleased to once again co-sponsor this important resolution, to further advance the promotion and protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Though we were disappointed to see the traditional consensus broken this year.

Advancing and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples is a high priority for Australia, and we welcome the detailed focus of this resolution on the myriad challenges that Indigenous Peoples face in realising their rights.

We appreciate that the resolution continues to provide guidance to Member States on where we must improve in this space, including on the disproportionate impact of climate change on Indigenous Peoples, on violence against Indigenous women and girls, and ensuring the rights, protection and safety of all Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous leaders and Indigenous human rights defenders, particularly against cases of threats, harassment and reprisals.

We must not lose sight of the important contribution that Indigenous Peoples make to these discussions, including in offering solutions grounded in generations of knowledge.

It is of utmost importance that Indigenous Peoples participate in decision-making on issues that affect them. 
Indigenous Peoples are the custodians of a significant part of the world’s biological, cultural and linguistic diversity. As partners in World Heritage protection, they have an important role to play in those discussions. 
Australia was proud to introduce a proposal in this year’s resolution to expand the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples to include meetings related to the World Heritage Convention.

We are pleased to see this in the adopted text, and we thank the membership for their consideration and support.

To underline our commitment to enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ participation in World Heritage, Australia will provide additional funding to support the newly expanded mandate of the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples.

We again express our sincere gratitude to the co-facilitators, Bolivia and Ecuador, for their continued stewardship of this important resolution.

Thank you.