UN Chief Celebrates International Day of World's Indigenous People

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, August 10, 2002

UN Chief Celebrates International Day of World's Indigenous People

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As celebrations take place across the globe to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on Friday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized that much could be learned from their communities and their new forum at the United Nations.

"We celebrate in the wake of the first historic session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues," the secretary-general said in a message marking the occasion.

"Thanks to the Permanent Forum, indigenous peoples now have a home at the United Nations, a space where they can make their voices heard and their issues known before the world," he said.

"Just as importantly, it offers forum members, most of whom areindigenous persons, an opportunity to help the Economic and SocialCouncil find solutions to the problems indigenous communities faceall over the globe," he said.

One of the lessons the world can learn is about the tradition of consensus, which can contribute to conflict resolution and goodgovernance, he said." Medicinal knowledge passed from generation to generation can also provide the world with valuable information."

"Likewise, indigenous peoples can teach us a great deal in managing complex ecosystems, promoting biodiversity, increasing crop productivity and conserving land," he said.

"On this day, let us pay tribute to the effort and hard work that went into creating the forum, thus ushering in a new era in the history of indigenous peoples at the United Nations," he added.

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