RIGHTS AIPP
AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP
Ask the participants to give any examples they know about good practices, experi-
ences, and lessons learned in the asser- tion or exercise of the various rights of
indigenous women, children, youth, el- ders and disabled.
Suggested Method
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IV. EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS IN ASSERTING RIGHTS
A. Women
1. Tining of Kalinga province, in the Cordillera region of the Philippines, fought
against the World-Bank funded Chico river dams, helped organize the women in her
community, and helped set up the women’s federation, Innabuyog, a member-organiza-
tion of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance. Ti- ning represented her organization in the
Beijing 4th World Conference on Women in 1995, where she spoke of her experiences
and took part in drafting the Beijing Indig- enous Women’s Declaration.
2.Self-organized Naga women like the Naga Women’s Union and the Naga Mothers Associa- tion have been able to mobilize the women for their active participation in political discourses in
the community. They also do a lot of work in conflict resolution to maintain peace and harmony within the community and among different ethnic groups of the Naga people.
3. As a result of women’s advocacy and lobby work, there are now existing national commis- sions for the rights of women and children in many countries such as in Indonesia, India and the
Philippines. However, these bodies only address general women and children’s concerns. Thus, further awareness-raising, advocacy and lobby work are necessary so that particular issues and
concerns of indigenous women and children are likewise addressed.
4. Indigenous women have distin- guished themselves through their partici-
pation in national political processes like in Papua and Nepal. In Nepal, the National
Indigenous Women’s Federation NIWF is composed of indigenous women activists
and indigenous women organizations, pro- fessionals and educators. It has regional-
level networks in five regions of Nepal and district-level alliances and members. It
makes efforts to raise the issues and con- cerns of indigenous women in Nepal and
abroad, and strengthen the movement of indigenous women in particular, and indig-
enous peoples in general, for securing their collective rights.
5. In Ngata Toro, a village in Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi, the com-
munity has been carrying out initiatives that, in their own words, are aimed at “strengthening our traditions, customary laws, culture and local institutions for sustainable use of our forest,
land and water for the benefit of all our community members and our environment”. The objec-
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Young women soldiers of the Naional Socialist Council of Nagalim NSCN, Isaac-Muivah facion, the strongest armed resistance group
of the Nagas. Since 1997 they have a cease-ire with the Indian gov- ernment and have been negoiaing on the future status of the Naga
territories. Photo by Chris Erni
RIGHTS AIPP
AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP
194
tives of the initiatives, among others, are: a to preserve the tropical forest ecosystem through revitalizing indigenous knowledge and traditional laws on access, control and sustainable use
of natural resources, and b to obtain maximum benefit from the preservationconservation of the tropical forest ecosystem in order to ensure sustainable natural resource-based develop-
ment. Initiatives are based on the Toro philosophy “Mahintuwu mampanimpu katuwua toiboli Topehoi” which means “To protect and preserve together our life and environment as bestowed
by God”. During the Foundation Phase 1993-June 2000, the indigenous people of Ngata Toro ex-
plored and documented their indigenous knowledge, customary laws, traditions and traditional lands as a foundation for strengthening the relationship between the people of Ngata Toro and
the natural environment, including natural resources.
During the Acknowledgement Phase July 2000-October 2001, the people of Ngata Toro struggled to have their indigenous knowledge, traditions, and traditional lands acknowledged by
the government, represented by the Lore Lindu National Park Authority. To facilitate this, a num- ber of new community-based organizations were established, including the Organization for the
Indigenous Women of Ngata Toro, as well as a number of community-based enterprises for eco- nomic development. Since then, this women’s organization has been playing an important role
in ensuring the achievement of the objectives mentioned above. It has served as an inspiration and model for women in other local communities to revitalize their roles and rights in relation
to community life and natural resources management. Its activities have also helped fulfill the
UNESCO requirements for granting Ngata Toro the status of a World Heritage Site.
B. Children and Youth
1. Indigenous Lumad children in Davao and Agusan in Mindanao island, Philippines, now have access to bilingual primary education and secondary education with livelihood opportu-
nities specifically designed to be appropriate for indigenous children. In addition, a school for living traditions has been set up among the Talaandig in Bukidnon where traditional knowledge
and culture is transmitted by elders and “cultural masters” to the young children and youth. Likewise, in other indigenous communities like in the province of Ifugao, there are schools of
living tradition and a program for nurturing indigenous knowledge is being implemented start- ing with the teaching of indigenous practices by elders to the youth, and integrating these in the
curriculum of the formal education system.
2. The Anti-Open Pit Mining Kids AOPMK of Itogon, Benguet, Philippines was organized at the height of the anti-open pit mining struggle of the Ibaloy and Kankanaey peoples against
destructive gold mining by Benguet Corporation during the 1990s. Composed of elementary school children, they performed songs and other music forms, skits and other theater art forms
portraying their people’s struggles. Their performances enlivened protest actions and were ef- fective in raising awareness of the issue. After the closure of the mines and as the kids grew
older, they moved on and joined other organizations. But the tradition of AOPMK is continued by other younger kids who continue to practice their music and theater arts as avenues for com-
municating with the larger world on present issues affecting their communities.
C. Elders
The Cordillera Elders Alliance is an organization of elders, leaders and peace pact holders that contributes to strengthening the role of the elders in the indigenous communities and in
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