Organizing and self-organization Lessons Learned

RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP 196 These collective actions are powerful means of expressing our demands and putting pressure on concerned authorities to recognize and respect our rights.

4. Lobby and advocacy work to pressure government to recognize and respect our rights

Some of the good practices of government were the result of people’s lobby and advocacy which exerted pressure on the government to heed the peoples’ demands. Lobby and advocacy should be done through the concerted efforts of different sectors of society, including grassroots organizations, professionals, academic and religious institutions and advocates in the assertion of indigenous peoples’ rights. Lobby and advocacy for the rights of the special sectors should be supported by the special sectors themselves to give teeth and strength to our efforts and collec- tive actions. Lobby and advocacy work are necessary in order to pressure governments to give the basic social services, support and recognition that the special sectors rightly deserve.

V. CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES

A. What do you think are the challenges faced by

indigenous women, chil- dren, youth, elders and disabled in the implemen- taion of the UNDRIP?

B. What are the strategies to address the following

challenges? 1. National sectoral bod- ies should address the particular needs of indigenous women, children, youth, elders and disabled, and include their representatives. Many countries in Asia have existing national bodies on the rights of women and children such as the national commission for women in India and Indonesia. Such bodies should make special provisions to address the needs of their respec- tive indigenous constituencies, and to include representatives of indigenous women, children, youth, elders and disabled in the appropriate national commissions.

2. Capacity building to overcome discrimination and awareness-raising on their rights.

Special training programs and campaigns to raise the capacity and level of awareness of indig- enous women, children, youth, elders and disabled in exercising their rights need to be provided to them and to the community as a whole. It is important for indigenous peoples’ organizations to take this up as a priority, and to advocate for the rights of the said special sectors at all levels. 3. Capacity building to document and report cases of violation of rights of indigenous women, children, youth, disabled and elders. Indigenous activists need to undergo special- ized training programs in documentation, so that they can effectively document and report cases of violations of the rights of indigenous women, children, youth, elders and disabled. Indigenous Module-9 This final section should be a participatory process of en- visioning and identification for the particular context of the participants. Ask the participants the two main questions as listed be- low: • What do you think are the challenges faced by each special sector in the implementation of UNDRIP? • What are the strategies to address the said chal- lenges? Split up the participants into workshop groups, and have them do poster presentations afterwards, in plenary. Suggested Method