Indigenous
Forum
Tells ICP
World
Conference May
Be Canceled
Due to
Exclusion
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
12 -- As the
Permanent
Forum on
Indigenous
Issues starts
up at the UN,
Inner City
Press on May
12 asked a
PFII panel
whether
the planned
World
Conference
will, in fact,
happen or be
boycotted
and canceled.
The
response was
that it is
uncertain due
to a blocking
of full
participation
by indigenous
people on the
conference,
including in
drafting and
negotiating
what would be
an outcome
document.
Nothing
about us,
without us --
that must at
least mean
such
participation
at
the UN.
Inner
City Press so
far has twice
asked the
spokesperson
for John Ashe,
President of
the General
Assembly,
about the
World
Conference.
The
second
time the
report was
upbeat,
everything is
coming along.
Now
apparently now
- but no
public update
from the PGA.
The Forum,
too,
says it is
waiting for
more
information
but “don't
hold your
breath” on the
Conference
happening.
Other
sources told
Inner City
Press that
instead of the
Trusteeship
Council
Chamber which
the Permanent
Forum
requested,
they were sent
to the
North Lawn
Building.
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon didn't
initially
have a meeting
scheduled but
“a group of
Indigenous
people” was
added to his
agenda for
5:10 pm, just
after a sure
to be shrunk
question and
answer session
on South
Sudan. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
At
the PFII press
conference,
the first
question was
given to, or
taken by,
Pamela Falk of
CBS as the
2013-14
president of
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance f/k/a
UN
Correspondents
Association.
Despite
others waiting
including
Indigenous
Television,
Falk proceeded
to ask three
questions --
and then left
the press
conference
early.
Before
Falk left, she
said “I weigh
in
as the
Secretary
General did on
your
election.” No,
the head of a
group that has
tried to
throw
journalists
out of the UN,
and most
recently obtained
then covered
up many fake
Twitter
followers
is not
“like the
Secretary
General” -
right? The new
Free UN
Coalition
for Access is
asking. We'll
have more on
this.
, 
