Indigenous Affairs, Indigenous Australia

The Rights of Indigenous People – Pearls and Irritations

New York, USA. 4th May, 2017. Les Malezer, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, is seen in the UN press briefing room. On the penultimate day of the 16th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (April 24 - May 5), Forum Rapporteur Brian Keane, Forum member Les Malezer and Mai Thin Yu Mon from the Asia Indigenous People's Pact spoke at a press briefing at UN Headquarters, delivering their assessment of the Forum's key outcomes. Image: Alamy/PACIFIC PRESS/Alamy Live News

John Howard  voted against what 143 Nations voted for and shamed this nation

The 13th of September 2007 was an important day in the history of Australian diplomacy although few people have heard of it.

The 13th of September 2007 was an important day in the history of Australian diplomacy although few people have heard of it. That was the occasion when veteran Aboriginal activist Les Malezer addressed the U.N’s General Assembly as the Chair of the Global Indigenous Caucus and introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People.

It was, he declared, a momentous and historic occasion for both the Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations. ‘It was a tool for peace and justice, based on mutual recognition and mutual respect.’ The Declaration passed with the support of 143 nations. Eleven nations abstained while Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States voted against it, a decision reversed by the incoming Rudd government in April 2009.

Source: The Rights of Indigenous People – Pearls and Irritations