wfn.org | WCC NEWS: UN Indigenous Forum: Political affirmation beyond colourful garments

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World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 13/05/2009 15:14:23

>INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SEEK POLITICAL AFFIRMATION

"Being indigenous peoples is not about wearing colourful
garments but about being engaged in the political struggle
towards an alternative to the current, crisis-laden model of
civilization", says María Chávez, an indigenous person from
Bolivia who is a consultant for indigenous issues at the World
Council of Churches (WCC).

María Chávez belongs to the Aymara people, a native group from
the mountain regions of South America. As the person in charge of
the WCC Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples project, she will be
coordinating the participation of an ecumenical delegation at the
8th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to
take place in New York City, 18-29 May. 

One of the issues on the forum's agenda is to review the
progress made in implementing the Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html ),
adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2007.

Jointly sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation and the WCC,
a 12-person ecumenical delegation will bring input from their
contexts into the discussions. "Indigenous persons who are also
members of churches are sometimes looked at with suspicion," says
Chávez. "We want to show not only that churches are supportive of
the cause of indigenous peoples, but also that there is an
indigenous church."

For Chávez, who is a Methodist lay theologian, it is crucial
that regional realities and local struggles are brought into the
discussion at the global level, in forums like the UN. In order
to achieve that, she believes "indigenous peoples have an ally in
the ecumenical movement".

"Some brothers and sisters say: 'We just cry for being heard',"
says Chávez. "For that to happen, we need to go beyond the
romanticization of our image and become real protagonists; we do
have an alternative lifestyle to offer to humankind, one that is
based on a holistic worldview and spirituality," she adds. 

WCC work in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3247

>UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
>http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507
6363media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,
witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical
fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings
together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches
representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110
countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic
Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from
the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.