Connecting Communities - Sharing Knowledge - Building a Common Future			June 8, 2005
Philanthropic community responds to the importance of Indigenous issues International Funders for Indigenous Peoples' (IFIP) Linking Circles IV held it's fourth annual meeting, "Transforming the Landscape of International Grantmaking for Indigenous Peoples" in New York City at Open Society Institute on May 19 and 20, 2005. The event coincided with the Fourth Annual United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues. "It was a historic and whirlwind of a week, in that five foundations (Ford Foundation, Aveda Corporation, American Jewish World Service, Moriah Fund and Honor the Earth) had donor sessions on Indigenous issues before IFIP's annual conference. We are seeing the philanthropic community take notice of Indigenous issues. Issues that have been dreadfully ignored in the past," said IFIP director Evelyn Arce-White. Since IFIP held its first Linking Circles meeting in 2001, interest has grown from two dozen Indigenous leaders and funders to nearly 100 in 2005. IFIP's network of funders dedicated to becoming more effective in their international Indigenous grantmaking portfolios continues to grow. Click here for full Press Release or visit internationalfunders.org. Click here to view conference info and photos. ______________________________________________________ 4th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 16 - 27 May 2005 Special Theme: Millennium Development Goals and Indigenous Peoples IFIP successfully distributes 300 Complimentary Spanish and English Indigenous Peoples Funding and Resource Guides at it's UN Session. Click here for the Press Release at internationalfunders.org. Indigenous Leaders Converge at the UN to Discuss Funding Challenges Recommendations Will Improve Access to Funding Opportunities International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) held an informational session on "Learning Strategies and Techniques to Increase Funding for Indigenous Communities" at the Fourth Annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The event was held on May 17th in New York City and discussed challenges Indigenous peoples face in securing funding for development initiatives. Permanent Forum Presses for Indigenous Inclusion in Development By Lisa Matthews Over the past two weeks, nearly 1,500 indigenous leaders, activists, and representatives from throughout the world have met at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. The Permanent Forum advises and makes recommendations to the U.N. Economic and Social Council regarding economic and social development, environment, health, human rights, culture, and education. At this session, the forum examined situations faced by indigenous peoples as countries and organizations strive to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Discussion focused on two of the eight MDGs: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education. "The imposition of so-called development projects and policies without the free, prior and informed consent of those affected … can lead to destruction or loss of ancestral territories and resources, denigration of indigenous worldviews and values and of their political, economic and socio-cultural systems and institutions, ecosystem degradation, displacement, and violent conflicts," writes Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the newly appointed chairwoman of the Permanent Forum and a Cultural Survival board member, in an expert paper published in advance of the session. for full article: click here To view documents from the Fourth session click here. For Opening Statement of the UNPFII Chairperson Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Kankana-ey), Philippines and Executive Director of Tebtebba, elected by consensus as Chairperson by the 16-member body download at http://www.tebtebba.org ______________________________________________________ World Bank releases report: Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America: 1994-2004 *Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America : 1994-2004* considers how social conditions have evolved in the five Latin American countries with the largest indigenous populations ( Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru ) during the last decade, proclaimed in 1994 by the United Nations as the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples. “Although indigenous people in the region have increased their political power and representation during the last decade, this has not translated into the positive results -in terms of poverty reduction- we had hoped to find when we embarked on this research,” said Gillette Hall, World Bank economist and co-author of the study. "Poverty rates among the indigenous population are higher and fall more slowly, which is particularly bad news for a continent that has set its sights on meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015,” said Harry Patrinos, World Bank economist and co-author of the study. click here to download the report. Comment from Several Indigenous Leaders: Indigenous Leaders Say World Bank Should Take Its Own Advice- Diego Cevallos- IPS-May 20, 2005. click here for the full story. ______________________________________________________ Upcoming Events: International Indigenous Youth Conference June 17-24, 2005 The second International Indigenous Youth Conference will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 17-24, 2005. The conference will take place within Indigenous territories on the coast and the interior of BC. The goals set at the first conference will be furthered by addressing the theme of, “Strengthening solidarity among Indigenous youth in asserting Indigenous people's rights amidst globalization,” at the second International Indigenous Youth Conference in 2005. click here to register. “Think Outside the Bomb” August 15-21, 2005 Days after international commemorations of the 60th anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a select group of young leaders will convene in Santa Barbara, California to craft plans to create a more secure and compassionate world. “Think Outside the Bomb” will bring together some 70 student leaders, disarmament experts, veteran activists, and artists from across the US for panel discussions and skill training. The gathering is scheduled for August 15-21, 2005 at the University of California Santa Barbara. Among the goals of “Think Outside the Bomb” are for participants to deepen their understanding of nuclear issues, expand personal and professional networks, and familiarize themselves with various organizing resources. Lodging and food will be subsidized for all participants. Limited travel stipends are available. For more information on “Think Outside the Bomb,” visit wagingpeace.org/youth or contact Michael Coffey, Director of Youth Programs, at (805) 965-3443 or email mcoffey@napf.org Amazon Alliance presents Amazon Forum VII Sept 20-22, 2005 in Washington DC For more info email Meghan at yura@amazonalliance.org or Call 202-785-3334 *Save the Date* National Network of Grantmakers Conference 2005 Oct 8-11, 2005 National Network of Grantmakers Conference 2005 THE POWER OF GENERATIONS: Pursuing Social Justice through Sacred Relationships at Semiahmoo Resort and Conference Center, Blaine Washington See www.nng.org for details Funders Conference Calls Funder Briefing Call on the WTO/Road to Hong Kong June 9, 9am Pacific/Noon Eastern The next WTO summit will take place in December 2005 in Hong Kong, and this meeting will be a crucial one for competing visions of the WTO1s future. If the agenda set forth last summer in Geneva is accepted more or less intact, the opportunity to change the course of the WTO will have been greatly diminished and the status quo will continue. On the other hand, if worldwide and increasingly well organized civil society campaigning efforts combine effectively with increased assertiveness on the part of middle income countries such as Brazil and India, WTO expansion may come to a halt and the institution and the economic model it defends may be thrown decisively on the defensive. The ability to move ahead with alternatives that promote economic justice, safeguard the environment and enhance democratic accountability rests at least to an important extent on outcomes in Hong Kong. Carin Smaller, with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policies Trade Information Project in Geneva. Margrete Strand Rangnes, Sierra Club1s Senior Trade Program Representative and helps coordinate the Our World Is Not For Sale alliance. Elizabeth Tang with the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and a leader of The Hong Kong People1s Alliance on the WTO. To RSVP and receive call information, contact mark@fntg.org Funders Conference Call - Threat to environmental safeguards from the US Courts Tuesday, June 21 at 4 pm EDT What's at Stake in the Battle Over Judges: Current Threats to Environmental Law You are invited to join a conference call for funders interested in the current threats to environmental law. A briefing by Doug Kendall (Executive Director, Community Rights Counsel), Leslie Carothers (President, Environmental Law Institute), and Buck Parker (President, Earthjustice) on recent developments in the courts, on the Senate floor, and in the court of public opinion. CRC and ELI have created the "Partnership for Constitutional and Environmental Law" to investigate, publicize, and counteract threats to environmental law and to the larger constitutional framework. CRC and Earthjustice coordinate "Judging the Environment," a comprehensive campaign for highlighting the environmental stakes in judicial nominations and preventing the confirmation of anti-environmental idealogues to lifetime positions on the federal bench.The call is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21st at 4:00 pm EDT. Please RSVP by reply e-mail to Osa Oiyayi at oiyayi@ega.org if you plan to join this call.			Renew or Become an esteemed member of IFIP. To download our registration form, click here. Submit an article for our Spring/Summer The Sharing Circle- DUE June 15th. The theme is "Learned Lessons from the Field," we encourage you to write about your experiences in funding Indigenous projects. ______________ Latest News Bolivia's President Offers to Resign Yahoo! News view article ______________ Resources ECAS FUNDING GUIDE, 11th Edition Accessing Europe's largest donor The ECAS guide provides a focal point, covering all potential EU funds in a practical handbook. This includes tips on how to apply, whom to contact for further information on each program and lots of links to websites and email addresses at different geographical levels. ISBN: 2-87451-001-7 For order form: Click Here Award: Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership Deadline September 30, 2005 The Buffet Award for Indigenous Leadership is a recognition program funded by the Peter and Howard Buffett families and administered by Ecotrust to honor outstanding individuals in the field of conservation and community development within the Pacific salmon territory of North America. Individuals are eligible if they are First Nation or tribal members, over 35 years of age, and work or have worked with an indigenous organization or community within the Pacific salmon territory of North America. $25,000 cash award will be presented to an individual whose activities demonstrate durable qualities of leadership to improve the social, economic, political, and environmental conditions in his or her homelands. Visit: www.ecotrust.org for full details. Investors Challenge Monsanto Over Risk from Genetically Engineered (GE) Crops As You Sow and religious institutional investors filed a shareholder resolution calling for a company report on the impacts of GE crops. The resolution received a vote of 7.7% which represent nearly 14 million shares and more than $800 million in stock. As You Sow also released the report “Monsanto and Genetic Engineering: Risk for Investors,” by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors. See website www.asyousow.org for 82-page report is the most in-depth analysis regarding the company's financial risks relating to these products. This is the story that Monsanto is not telling investors The International Forum on Globalization (IFG) Indigenous Peoples and Globalization program has completed a map depicting the negative impacts of economic globalization on indigenous peoples. The map provides a striking visual image of the totality of the problem. It offers a unique visual representation of globalization across the many sectors impacting native communities: oil, dams, biopiracy, logging, militarization, and industrial agriculture, to name a handful. The map also includes text describing the various impacts. Click Here for the map.
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