Les collectivités de l’outre-mer et la coopération institutionnelle régionale et internationale

Discours prononcé mercredi 25 août 2010 au Marie-Luce Penchard,
ministre chargée de l’Outre-mer


Mesdames et Messieurs les Ambassadeurs,

Je reprends la parole pour introduire notre troisième thème, « les collectivités de l’outre-mer et la coopération institutionnelle régionale et internationale ».

La coopération régionale apparaît en effet comme une dimension incontournable du développement des Outre-mers, et de leur affirmation identitaire ; en outre, on constate une volonté de renforcement de leurs compétences internationales. Parallèlement, les Outre-mers constituent des pôles d’influence française, et peuvent servir en quelque sorte de « point d’appui régional » à l’influence française.

Comment développer ce rôle, tout en assurant la cohérence de la parole de la France à l’étranger ? Je suggère quatre pistes de réflexion :

D’abord confier chaque fois que cela est possible la responsabilité de la délégation française à un élu ultramarin proche. C’est ce que nous venons de faire avec le Directeur d’Asie, M. Paul Jean-Ortiz, en offrant successivement au Sénateur Louechkote la responsabilité de la délégation française à la dernière réunion du « post Forum du Pacifique », puis au Député Frogier celle de mener notre délégation aux cérémonies anniversaire de l’indépendance du Vanuatu. Je crois, sous le contrôle de nos ambassadeurs concernés que cela a été une bonne décision. Je crois que cette présence dynamise le rôle de l’ambassadeur et offre une véritable plus-value car l’élu concerné apporte avec lui son réseau régional. Je souhaite entendre votre opinion sur ce point.

Ensuite, renforcer le rôle des Commissions mixtes. Plusieurs ont été créées cette année et je remercie tout particulièrement Mme Elisabeth Béton-Delègue, la Directrice des Amériques, pour le travail effectué en la matière. D’autres peuvent être créées, je pense à Sint Marteen. Des sous-commissions nous sont aussi réclamées, je pense au « Conseil du fleuve Oyapock », sur le modèle du « Conseil du fleuve Maroni .

Troisième piste de réflexion, le renforcement des relations entre les ambassades et les préfectures. Je sais que beaucoup a été fait. Je remercie en particulier Stéphane Gompertz, le Directeur d’Afrique, pour avoir organisé, avec l’ambassadeur Leyssene, la réunion régionale des ambassadeurs de l’océan indien et la conférence de coopération régionale à La Réunion, symboliquement au sein même du Conseil Régional. Je crois que nous pouvons également suivre l’exemple de notre ambassade à Port au Prince, qui a programmé à la rentrée des réunions auprès des CCI de Guadeloupe et de Martinique pour les informer sur les marchés potentiels liés à la reconstruction à Haïti. Il nous faudra aussi travailler à faciliter la représentation des collectivités au sein même des ambassades. Les conventions visant à gérer l’arrivée de ces nouveaux agents sont en cours de finalisation, et j’en remercie tout particulièrement Stéphane Romatet, le Directeur Général de l’Administration du Quai d’Orsay , comme ses services, qui réfléchissent actuellement à la partie « formation » de ces nouveaux agents.

Quatrième piste de réflexion, travailler à une meilleure intégration de nos collectivités au sein des organisations régionales. Les perspectives principales me semblent les suivantes :

La Guadeloupe et la Martinique pourraient faire acte de candidature à l’OECS (Organisation des États de la Caraïbe Orientale), auprès de laquelle la France est désormais accréditée à travers notre ambassade à Sainte-Lucie. Depuis le nouveau statut, deux territoires de l’outre-mer britanniques sont devenus membres associés, statut qui me paraît recommandable.

La Guyane pourrait, le cas échéant délégation de la France, faire acte de candidature auprès de l’OTCA, organisation du traité de coopération amazonien.

Les cinq collectivités territoriales des Antilles-Guyane pourraient faire acte de candidature à la Communauté des Caraïbes, CARICOM. Je souhaite entendre vos recommandations sur ce point.

En ce qui concerne l’Association des États de la Caraïbe (AEC), dont la France est membre associé, au titre de la Guadeloupe, de la Guyane, de la Martinique, et, depuis janvier 2010, de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin, je souhaiterais qu’une sorte de « présidence tournante » de notre délégation soit établie entre nos collectivités.

la Nouvelle Calédonie pourrait voir sa position renforcée au sein du « Forum des Iles du Pacifique » ainsi que du « Fer de lance ». La Polynésie pourrait solliciter une évolution parallèle.

Enfin, le rehaussement de notre représentation au sein du COMESA et de l’IOR/ARC ne manquera pas d’impacter sur la Réunion et Mayotte, France de l’océan indien.

Voilà très rapidement brossées quelques pistes de réflexion sur « les collectivités d’outre-mer et l’international ». Vous avez la parole.

Seul le prononcé fait foi

Addressing the special needs of the most vulnerable

Summary of United Nations Round Table 5

High Level Plenary Meeting of the 65th Session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals


Dr. the Hon. W. Baldwin Spencer
Prime Minister
Antigua and Barbuda


Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to present a summary of the discussion in Round Table 5 on Addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

* It was observed that that the promotion and protection of human rights is a prerequisite for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. We must spare no effort to advance equality and non-discrimination with regards to gender, age, disability, ethnicity, geographical location, and HIV/AIDS status.

* It was noted that to answer the question of who the most vulnerable are and what are the causes of their vulnerability we need more disaggregated data.

* The representatives of small island developing states and landlocked countries pointed out their special vulnerability to climate change, natural disasters, high costs of energy and transportation. To fight climate change more investments should be made in mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and investment in renewable energies.

* The international community is urged to assist vulnerable countries: least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing states in addressing their specific needs and development challenges. Urgent action must focus on effective aid and trade policies; fulfilling of all ODA commitments and further mobilization of financial resources for development, including capacity building and technology transfer.

* Countries in conflict and post-conflict situations are especially vulnerable and in need of renewed focus on peace-building, including
consolidation of state institutions and assistance to internally displaced people and refugees.

* Member States recognize that ensuring equitable access to economic opportunities and social services for the poor and those in vulnerable situations is vital for the achievement of the MDGs. We should devote adequate resources to tackle basic sources of vulnerability, such as lack of access to adequate nutrition, education, skills training, health services and decent jobs. More efforts are needed to ensure access to financial services, including microfinance, credit and insurance for all, and especially those in vulnerable situations.

* Governments also underscore that comprehensive systems of social protection are essential to reduce inequality and vulnerability and achieve development goals as well as shield those most vulnerable in times of economic crises. Some also noted that conditional and unconditional cash transfers can be effective in vulnerability reduction.

* More international cooperation is needed to support policies and programmes to reduce vulnerability of people living with HIV/AIDS through prevention, treatment, care and support strategies, including special efforts to address stigmatization and discrimination.

* Vulnerable groups, especially women and minorities should be empowered and represented in national parliaments and included in the development process.

* Vulnerability in context of peace-negotiations was also noted. Special needs of Palestinian refugees merit special attention.

* In conclusion, we all agree that without addressing the special needs of the most vulnerable countries and people MDGs cannot be achieved.

Thank You Very Much.

Independent Analysis Concludes Decolonisation Remains Unfinished Agenda of the United Nations

Comprehensive Study Shows Limited Progress in Carrying Out the Decolonisation Mandate

An independent Analysis of the Implementation of the United Nations Decolonisation Mandate during the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2001 – 2010) has concluded that whilst the United Nations has adopted a series of significant recommendations over the last two decades to bring the contemporary colonial era to a close, the implementation of these measures adopted by the nations of the world leave much to be desired. The study noted that the lack of follow-through is the most important impediment to bringing "new millenium colonialism" to a close. The United Nations formlly lists sixteen non self-governing territories comprised of island dependencies in the Caribbean and Pacific, as well as several under sovereignty dispute. Only two territories since 1990- Namibia and Timor Leste - have exercised their inalienable right to self-determination and subsequet decolonisation.

The study was conducted by Independent Expert on Governance and Multilateral Diplomacy Dr. Carlyle Corbin who delivered the initial findings to the United Nations Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonisation which met in Noumea, Kanaky (New Caledonia) last May. The full and updated analysis has been published in the September  2010 edition of Overseas Territories Report (Vol. IX No. 5).  The following  Introduction to the analysis was made available to OTR.

Introduction

The Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (IDEC) is scheduled to expire at the end of 2010, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Decolonisation Declaration [Resolution 1514 (XV)] , and Resolution 1541 (XV) which defined the minimum international standards of full self-government through the three legitimate political status alternatives of independence, free association with an independent States and integration into an independent State.

The present analysis serves as an update to the “Mid-Term Assessment of the Level of Implementation of the Plan of Action of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism” (Canuoan Assessment Paper) delivered to the Caribbean Regional Seminar on the Implementation of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism: mid term review, follow-up, and priorities for action which convened in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2005.

The assessment on the implementation of the mandate of the First International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism over the period (1991-2000), was presented to the United Nations Pacific and Caribbean Regional Seminar(s) to Review the Political, Economic and Social Conditions in the Small Island Non-Self-Governing Territories which convened in Majuro, Marshall Islands in 2000, and to the Caribbean regional seminar which met in La Habana, Cuba in 2001, respectively. The Majuro and Havana Assessments were utilised in support of the adoption of the Second IDEC.

The present analysis identifies the legislative authority in undertaking the international decolonisation mandate during the second IDEC (2001-2010), as established in relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Additionally, the recommendations of the Caribbean and Pacific regional seminars were examined since the actions called for largely emanated from governmental and civil society representatives of the non self-governing territories themselves. The regional seminars themselves emerged as the most successful and consistent activity of the two plans of action for the first and second decades.

Within this framework, the paper also explores the level of implementation of the actions called for by the United Nations system, including the Special Committee on Decolonisation, the wider UN system including its UN specialised agencies, the administering Powers and relevant intergovernmental organisations and civil society.

The overall intention of the paper is to assess the level of compliance to date with the international mandate undertaken by the relevant stakeholders, consistent with recognised international standards, and to offer future strategies to be taken for the way forward.

The full analysis is available from overseasreview@yahoo.com .

Major Conference on Small Islands to Convene at United Nations Headquarters

Most Overseas Countries & Territories Eligible to Participate

United Nations member States will undertake a 5-year review of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States at the beginning of the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly. The session will convene for two days on 24-25 September 2010.

Those overseas countries and territories (OCTs) which are associate members of the United Nations regional economic commissions are eligible for participation in the conference in the capacity of official observer providing for full participation in the proceedings including the right to address the session from the podium, and participation in all other events consistent with established practice. The legislative authority for the participation of the OCTs in the conference is U.N. General Assembly 64/199 of 21 December 2009 which:

"Invites the participation of associate members of regional commissions in the high-level review, subject to the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, and in the preparatory process thereof, as observers, in the same capacity specified for their participation at the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in Mauritius from 10 to 14 January 2005."

Eligible Associate Member Countries

Anguilla

Aruba

(Bermuda) 1/ 

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Montserrat
Netherlands Antilles

Puerto Rico

(Turks & Caicos) 2/

US Virgin Islands

American Samoa

Cook Islands

French Polynesia

Guam

New Caledonia

Niue

Northern Mariana Islands

Tokelau 1/

1/ Territory is not an associate member of a UN regional economic commission

2/ Due to suspension of elected government eligibility for participation is in question.

*****

The genesis of participation of the associate member countries in United Nations world conferences emerged from the Working Group of Non-Independent Caribbean Countries (NICCs) of the Caribbean Development & Cooperation Committee (a subsidary body of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) dating to the early 1990s.

The category of participation of "Associate Members of Regional Economic Commissions" in United Nations world conferences and special sessions of the General Assembly was initiated by the associate members of ECLAC in the run-up to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), otherwise known as the Earth Summit. The result was the establishment of a mechanism through which the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) could engage the international debate on issues in the economic and social sphere as it directly affects them. It should be noted that for those OCTs whose international relations are controlled by an administering power, the eligibility criteria for participation of the territories has been adopted by consensus in the UN General Assembly with the support of the cosmopolitan countries.

Several United Nations studies were undertaken to bring to light modalities for the participation of OCTs in the UN world conferences, and in the wider United Nations system, respectively. These studies serve as a blueprint for participation.

Governments of associate member countries of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) are urged to communicate their interest in participation to the United Nations Department of General Assembly and ECOSOC Affairs, or alternatively to contact their respective regional commission offices in Trinidad and Tobago (for the Caribbean), and Fiji (for the Pacific) for further information.

For Chile, Colossal Trouble On Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Annie Murphy
National Public Radio

Easter Island's ancient stone statues number nearly 1,000 and stand like sentries on the dramatic landscape. The descendants of the indigenous Rapanui people who made the carvings have a dispute with Chile over land and rights. The monumental statues of Easter Island have made the isolated island, more than 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile, an international tourist destination that carries the U.N. designation as a World Heritage Site. But the modern-day descendants of the people who made those ancient statues, the indigenous Rapanui, have a conflict with the Chilean state.

When Chile took over in the late 19th century, the Rapanui were pushed off their lands. Several thousand Rapanui still live on Easter Island, but they say outsiders now control the island, including its lucrative tourism industry.

On a breathtaking rocky point that juts out into sapphire-blue water, the Hanga Roa Hotel is a luxury eco-resort and spa — at least, it was supposed to be until the Hito clan took it over.

On a recent day, dozens of men, women and children were camped out on the lobby's couches. They evicted hotel staff, and they cook traditional Rapanui food on outdoor fires. Santi Hitorangi, a member of the Rapanui (pronounced rap-ah-NEW-ee), said he started this chain of events by planting a garden next to the hotel, which sits on land that used to belong to his clan.

Decades ago, the property was acquired by the government, and then traded between private owners. By law, only Rapanui can own land on Easter Island. But the law is not strictly enforced. Hitorangi said the Rapanui want to recover ownership of the entire island. When charges were pressed against Hitorangi, he went to the U.S., where he is now based.

"First and foremost is the title to the land, because there you have the right to determine local politics, to represent the Rapanui people, the Rapanui interests, culture," he said by phone from his home in Goshen, N.Y. "Bear in mind that the presence of the colonial government of Chile in Rapanui has one main purpose — to assimilate us to them."

The Rapanui are the original inhabitants of this windswept piece of grass, rock and sand. Geographically, Easter Island is part of Polynesia. It is home to nearly 1,000 mysterious statues called moai, positioned across the island like sentries amid a dramatic setting of volcanic stone cliffs above the ocean. When Chile laid claim to the island just over a century ago, it simply corralled the Rapanui into the island's one town, the village of Hanga Roa, and leased the rest to a sheep farm. It wasn't until the 1960s that the Rapanui became Chilean citizens.

Today, the village has a steady stream of tourists, which means it has electricity and water. Many Rapanui work in tourism and live in small cement or wood houses topped by metal roofs. Some still use horses to get around and do work.

For a tourist, Easter Island can feel like paradise — beautiful scenery, warm climate and world-class archaeological sites. The Rapanui are fine with tourists coming to their island. It is the unchecked flow of Chileans they are upset about.

Angela Tuki is part of the clan that has taken over the Hanga Roa Hotel. "We're tired of explaining everything to the state. Everything they do here goes badly. Especially immigration — it's not immigration, it's an invasion," she said. "Since there's no border between the island and the mainland, the state doesn't listen to us as a distinct ethnic group." The Hito clan has taken over the one hotel, but dozens of other properties in town are being occupied by other clans with ancestral claims.

The island's governor resigned because of the situation. Interim Gov. Jorge Miranda — who is from mainland Chile — said the Rapanui can't just expect the current government to solve century-old problems. "Unfortunately it's true that there were abuses and human rights violations. But it happened in another context, under another administration. We have good intentions to dialogue and resolve this problem peacefully," he said. But many Rapanui have lost faith in the Chilean government and don't even identify themselves as Chilean.

Tihi Tuki, a member of the clan occupying the Hanga Roa Hotel, wears fatigues as if in combat and has a topknot of rust-colored hair. Tuki spent years collecting garbage in town and said he quit because he felt like a servant to Chile. He tattooed the word "trash" on his right hand in Rapanui, so he wouldn't forget the experience. Now he plays music, does woodworking and finds odd jobs. Tuki lives in a shelter made of salvaged metal near Anakena Beach, an isolated cove on the north end of the island. It is also a popular spot for tourists. "I'm the heir to this place; this has nothing to do with the Chilean government. And I'm going to occupy the land that rightfully belongs to me," Tuki said.

But the Rapanui face big challenges and constant setbacks. Police recently evicted the Hito clan from the Hanga Roa Hotel. And the clan went right back and reoccupied it.

Muere el independentista Juan Mari Brás

La Raza

Muere el independentista Juan Mari Brás

San Juan/INS

El histórico dirigente independentista puertorriqueño Juan Mari Brás falleció a eso de la 1:45 de la madrugada de hoy a los 83 años de edad tras una prolongada convalecencia en su hogar, confirmó a la agencia Inter News Service su yerno Enrique Estrada.

“Murió tranquilo en su hogar”, dijo Estrada, casado con Rosa Mari Pesquera, al indicar que en el transcurso del día se ofrecerán detalles de los funerales. El deceso de Mari Brás se produjo en su hogar en San Juan, donde convaleció el último año bajo el cuidado de su esposa Marta Brás.

El dirigente político ostentaba la ciudadanía puertorriqueña después de una ardua batalla legal que se originó cuando en 1994 se presentó a la embajada de Estados Unidos en Venezuela a renunciar la ciudadanía estadounidense, que Washington impuso a los boricuas en 1917.

Fue uno de los fundadores principales en 1959 del Movimiento Pro Independencia (MPI) de Puerto Rico, inspirado en la triunfante Revolución Cubana, que en 1971 devino en el Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño (PSP), marxista-leninista), del que fuera secretario general.

Ya en 1946 había participado en la fundación del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP), del cual se distanció al radicalizar su visión revolucionaria inspirado en la figura del triunfante líder cubano Fidel Castro, a quien ya había conocido en su época universitaria durante un viaje a La Habana.

Expulsado de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR) por participar en la huelga estudiantil de 1948, debió marchar a Estados Unidos a proseguir estudios en Florida Southern College, en el estado de la Florida.

En 1954 se graduó de abogado en la Escuela de Leyes de la American University, en la capital estadounidense, tras haber sido expulsado de la George Washington University durante la persecución anticomunista del senador Joseph McCarthy.

Mari Brás, a la par con el MPI, fue fundador junto al periodista y sindicalista César Andreu Iglesias del periódico izquierdista Claridad, que se continúa publicando como propulsor de la independencia puertorriqueña.

La salud del líder izquierdista comenzó a complicarse tras sufrir una caída el 31 de mayo de 2009 en su residencia en el sector Dulces Labios, en la occidental municipalidad de Mayagüez, donde había nacido el 2 de diciembre de 1926.

Debido a esa caída en octubre de ese año fue sometido a una intervención quirúrgica en la cabeza en el Centro Médico en Río Piedras, la que estuvo a cargo del doctor Eric Carro, con el propósito de succionarle unos hematomas subdurales que le causaban presión cerebral.Mari Brás salió airoso de esa cirugía, pero en diciembre de 2009 estuvo bajo cuidado intensivo en el hospital Bella Vista de Mayagüez a causa de una pulmonía. En esa oportunidad, los médicos le han descubierto un nódulo en el pulmón izquierdo, que le trajo otras complicaciones de salud.

El líder izquierdista murió con la profunda tristeza, recordó su yerno Estrada, de que jamás se esclareció quiénes estuvieron en 1976 detrás del asesinato de uno de sus hijos, Santiago (Chagui) Mari Pesquera. Para entonces Mari Brás, que en 1973 se había convertido en el primer independentista puertorriqueño en hablar en las Naciones Unidas, se encontraba inmerso en la campaña eleccionaria, ya que era candidato a la gobernación de Puerto Rico por el PSP.

En diciembre de 2009, su hija Rosa Mari Pesquera, portavoz de la Comisión por la Verdad y la Justicia, presentó documentos desclasificados del Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) que ubican a los exiliados cubanos Reynol Rodríguez González y Frank Eulalio Castro Paz en una conspiración para asesinar a Mari Brás.

Also see: Muere histórico líder independentista puertorriqueño Juan Mari Brás

                Juan Mari Bras Biography

Guyana Support to Indigenous Communities

Indigenous communities to receive US$8M from LCDS revenue this year


Michelle Gonsalves
Guyana Chronicle

Gala launch to Amerindian Heritage month 2010

GUYANA’S indigenous communities will receive US$8 million out of the US$30 million to be received from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) revenue this year, according to President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Speaking at the launch of Amerindian Heritage Month, at a ceremony hosted at the Amerindian Village, National Exhibition Centre in Sophia, the President said the funds will be used for village development. Citing transformative economic activities where young people can stay in the village and earn a decent living as well as food security, he said every village is currently working on their own plan according to a template sent out by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

Responding to gripes about the money not being properly spent, the President said the money will be budgeted and will have the strongest fiduciary safeguards that can be audited anywhere in the world.
President Bharrat Jagdeo receives a traditional Amerindian necklace upon his arrival at the launch of Amerindian Heritage month of activities yesterday.

He said it is important to the country and there is no room for pedantic approaches as the development of indigenous people will be at the forefront of the strategy. Referring to comments made by Chief of the Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), Dr. George Norton, in a speech at the same event, the President said he agreed that all children, not only Amerindian children must have a proper perspective of the struggles of the indigenous peoples throughout the ages. However, he strongly disagreed with Norton’s views about “mendicancy syndrome”.

He said Amerindians are not mendicants, stating that he has great respect for Amerindians who can live in very difficult circumstances, contrasting them with some people on the Coast who will complain even when opportunities are easily available. Again disagreeing with Norton, President Jagdeo said we must subscribe to the philosophy of working together, instead of “who deh pon top”.

He said that even though some people would like that to continue, parties cannot continue to be built on race; barriers must be broken down and people must have the freedom to go into any party and any government that they wish. Calling out to young people he said “take your country over”.

He stressed that Guyana “belongs to us all, and all have an equal place in the land and are equal before the Constitution and, therefore, we must ensure that people have an opportunity to exercise this equality.” President Jagdeo noted that, unfortunately, for a long time, people who live in the hinterland never managed to experience that equality. He said that it is “unforgivable” that for decades in the post-independence period, intelligent children were “doomed” to have only a primary education, where it existed.

Jagdeo said that though the problem is not completely fixed, all children have access to primary education and secondary education has been expanded, noting that the government is now building a secondary school at Sand Creek – a hinterland community.  He also alluded to the fact that many Amerindians are even studying abroad. In this regards, President Jagdeo told the audience that he had, earlier in the day, attended a graduation ceremony where several Amerindian students were among the more than 90 persons that graduated.

Moving on to the issue of health care, President Jagdeo said the government is working to make drastic improvements to this area by providing more doctors rather than community health workers to serve Amerindian communities. He said that a part of the government’s strategy is to extend information communication to every home along Guyana’s coast.

Pledging 90 thousand computers to families along the coast, the president said it will be very hard to do that in Amerindian communities where homes are far apart and there often is not access to the internet, but over the next two years the government will work with villages, especially the large villages, to have a bank of computers so that there can be internet access for entire communities.

He said that this is also very important for “e-medicine”, which is an important part of improving the service as, if the distance is so great, information can be transmitted to health workers on the ground, in the absence of a doctor, to make better diagnoses. He said within three years, every Amerindian home in Guyana (some 10 thousand) will have a solar panel to supply electricity.

President Jagdeo also urged his listeners to continue viewing the LCDS as an opportunity for Guyana to create the elements of a market-based system through advocacy. He said rewards are in store for everyone, particularly indigenous communities, stressing that no indigenous community is required to contribute their land that they own and that they have absolute control over their land and will pledge land only if they wish to do so.

He said that even if they don’t give land, a significant amount of money earned from the strategy will go back to their communities, promising more opportunities to earn a living and have a better life without compromising cultural growth and cultural preservation.

President Jagdeo also expressed the hope that Guyanese will use the opportunity of the month long celebration to learn more about the contributions of Amerindians to Guyana’s national culture and join in the celebration.

Amerindian Heritage Month Celebrations were launched under the theme “Promoting Sustainable Livelihood and Cultural Heritage while transforming our Village Economies,” this year.

Cultural Impacts of Bonaire 'Integration' with Netherlands

Social Change Studied as Bonaire, Holland Move Closer

Newswise

Source: University of Alabama Huntsville

Change is coming to the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire, and some of the approximately 14,000 people who live there are worried about what that change might bring. How will the largely Roman Catholic population cope with becoming part of Holland, with its liberal Dutch laws and attitudes?

"It's going to be weird," says Dr. Sandra Carpenter, a psychology professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville who is studying the evolving self-image and social attitudes of Bonaire residents as the island becomes more Dutch. "I want to see which parts of their culture they hang onto and which will fall by the wayside as other things are adopted."

Bonaire's change starts Oct. 10 when the largely autonomous Dutch Antilles dissolve and both of the Antilles' more populous islands, Curacao and the Dutch half of St. Martin (Sint Maarten), join Aruba as independent nation members of the Kingdom of Holland (the Netherlands).

With less than 20,000 residents between Bonaire and two smaller islands, voters there decided that rather than try to stand alone they would seek closer ties with the Netherlands. On 10/10/10 the three islands become special municipalities of Holland (the Netherlands), although the details of how that will work are still being negotiated.

While political, legal and economic details of the transition are being negotiated, Carpenter's interest is the residents' attitudes and beliefs, and how those change as the Dutch presence on the island grows. She spent 13 weeks in 2009 surveying Bonaire residents to establish a research baseline.

"How do people think about things now?" she said. "They have very traditional types of values, very conservative. Historically they have been more collective and communal in their attitudes, although there are signs that they are becoming more individualistic. Some of the elders said the worst thing that has happened to Bonaire was cable TV."

She also surveyed 186 children in Bonaire schools, ages 10 to 17, giving them the "20 statements test." Each student completes the statement "I am ..." 20 times.

"A student might say, 'I am a brother, I am a son, I am a Christian' and so forth, so they can talk about relationships," Carpenter said. "It tells us about self-concept and priorities. As the island becomes more Dutch, the value systems will likely change across time and the things that have importance will change.

"I will go back next year to follow up," she said. "I plan to go back every couple of years to see if self-concept in the children has changed. This is a long-term study, so I can track across several years. I suspect that 10 years will be enough time to see some movement, at least in some aspects of what's going on there."

Some of the local attitudes might hinder Bonaire residents' attempts to benefit from the growing tourism industry: "The people there don't want to take 'slave jobs' in industry, such as housekeeping, which leaves fewer options," Carpenter said. "Some people refuse to do those jobs because of the historical perspective of slavery on the island."

Editor's Note: This is an interesting issue. Some clarifications are in order. Political change in Bonaire's constitutional status is in relation to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, not with Holland which is one of the three countries of the Kingdom at present. In October, there will be four countries in the Kingdom, namely Holland, Aruba, Sint Maarten and Curacao. OTR does not understand the reference to "slave jobs"  which would be considered offensive in most quarters...

Guam Legislation Would Support Indigenous Rights, Oppose Military Build-up

NEWS RELEASE


Vice Speaker of the 30th Legislature of Guahan Benjamin J.F. Cruz introduced Resolution 420-30 (LS) to Support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Rights of Indigenous Chamorro People.

Vice Speaker Benjamin J.F. Cruz introduced Resolution 420-30 (LS) to support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is an international human rights document that recognizes the world’s indigenous peoples under international law. The Declaration is a significant tool toward eliminating human rights violations against over 370 million indigenous people worldwide.

Resolution 420-30 (LS) fully supports the rights of indigenous Chamorro people as the intended beneficiaries of the Declarations provisions. In light of the military buildup, Resolution 420-30 (LS) asserts the buildup’s effect is to imperil the selfdetermination rights of the Chamorro people, to reduce their voting power due to drastic colonial population increase, and reduce them to a minority in their ancestral homeland.

Resolution 420-30 (LS) states the adverse impacts of the military buildup from the possibility of land condemnation to the eradication of 70 acres of coral reef, the desecration of 3,500-year-old burial sites, and over-tapping of Guam’s water system.

In Resolution 420-30 (LS), Cruz supports H. Res. 1551 introduced by Representative Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, of American Samoa, to urge the United States to promote respect for the full application of the Declaration’s provisions. Resolution 420-30 (LS) calls upon President Obama to support H. Res. 1551, to sign the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to halt a military buildup that may result in the ethnocide of the indigenous Chamorro people of Guam.

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Also see:  Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus Addresses UN Human Rights Council

                 U.N. Indigenous Forum Adopts Decolonisation Agenda

                 Chamoru Summit stresses indigenous leadership  

Instituto Soberanista se Convierte en Nuevo Movimiento Politico

El Instituto Soberanista Puertorriqueño (ISP)


San Juan—El Instituto Soberanista Puertorriqueño (ISP) determinó hoy domingo crear un nuevo movimiento político para las elecciones de 2012, que sea un frente amplio de todos y todas los puertorriqueños y puertorriqueñas con un fin común y una propuesta económica, social y soberanista para resolver nuestra problemática actual y la de las futuras generaciones.

Así lo dio a conocer el cofundador del ISP, Ángel Collado Schwarz, quien dijo que la organización educativa avaló la opción de un movimiento donde convivan los creyentes en la soberanía, ya sea la opción política de la libre asociación o la independencia, en una organización a base de puntos de coincidencia y no en un partido político donde se delibere y se trace la línea política a seguir.

Socios fundadores del ISP y afiliados a la organización se dieron cita en el Teatro de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad Interamericana en Hato Rey durante la mañana de hoy domingo 29 de agosto de 2012 para celebrar el aniversario de la organización y escuchar las presentaciones de los representantes del Comité Ejecutivo sobre la trayectoria educativa y las vivencias de este primer año.

“Luego de compartir con los socios fundadores y los afiliados los resultados de la labor de concientización sobre la soberanía a través de la Isla, y según se acordó, hemos dado paso a una nueva iniciativa para llenar el vacío que existe en Puerto Rico que nos encamine hacia una manera diferente de resolver los problemas del país a corto y largo plazo”, dijo Collado Schwarz.

“Se trata de una nueva opción que logre aglutinar ciudadanos honestos, comprometidos con alcanzar la soberanía para crear un Puerto Rico próspero con justicia social”, declaró Collado Schwarz quien abundó que “esto surge del reclamo de las miles de personas que han asistido a las conferencias del Instituto, en más de 50 municipios del país, quienes han pedido que se tome acción para cambiar la situación colonial de Puerto Rico”.

“Alcanzar la soberanía es sólo el primer paso que nos otorga los poderes necesarios para la creación de un nuevo país con desarrollo económico, justicia social, y calidad de vida”, añadió Che Paralitici, otro de los fundadores del ISP.

Mayra Rivera, también cofundadora del ISP, comentó que “el Movimiento comenzará su fase inicial de organización aglutinando a los miembros que expresen deseo de afiliarse al mismo y a otros puertorriqueños y puertorriqueñas. Nadie se excluye.”

Liany Fernández, responsable de la página del ISP en Facebook, añadió que “el uso de la tecnología representa un instrumento poderoso para educar en cuanto a la necesidad de alcanzar la soberanía para conseguir los poderes requeridos para crear un nuevo Puerto Rico”.

Por su parte, Silverio Perez, cofundador de la organización, dijo que el compromiso con el ISP fue reunirse en agosto de 2010 y evaluar la labor educativa para determinar si se había cumplido con las metas trazadas y si había ambiente para convertirlo en un movimiento político.

Se determinó que el ISP sobrepasó sus expectativas educativas, impactando a cerca de 10,000 personas en 50 municipios en la costa, la montaña , los centros metropolitanos y centros estudiantiles. Agregó que se transmitieron algunas de las más de 120 presentaciones por la radio y por Internet y que se llevaron a cabo reuniones con varios sectores de la sociedad puertorriqueña, a saber: comunitario, cooperativista, sindical, artístico, estudiantil, empresarial y agrícola, entre otros.

Según lo acordado en la reunión, el ISP continuará la labor educativa llevando el mensaje soberanista a través de Puerto Rico en centros comunitarios, barriadas, universidades, plazas públicas y centros culturales, entre otros y maximizando la utilización de la tecnología.

El comité ejecutivo del ISP constituirá formalmente a un Comité Coordinador con miras a celebrar, en las próximas semanas, reuniones formales con las distintas personas que apoyan el Movimiento y anunciar formalmente, antes de finalizar el año, los planes para el 2012.

Finalmente se citó al “soberanista mayor”, Willie Miranda Marín: “Necesitamos hacer lo que haya que hacer, sin que consideraciones políticas cortoplacistas secuestren el compromiso de la gestión política que el país exige. Pensar en las nuevas generaciones y no cobardemente en las próximas elecciones”‘.