Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee
Encyclopedia
The Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC) was founded in 1997. It is one of the main trans-national network organizations recognised as a representative of African indigenous peoples
in dialogues with governments and bodies such as the UN
. , IPACC was composed of 150 member organisations in 21 African countries.
:
With respect to concerns expressed that identifying some groups and not others as indigenous is in itself discriminatory
, IPACC states that it:
standards and normative instruments, notably the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations
(WGIP) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
.
In April 2007, IPACC leaders adopted a new strategy and action plan focussing on improving the engagement of indigenous peoples
in policies dealing with the environment, natural resources
and climate change
. The plan of action, adopted in Bujumbura
, Burundi
sets out its main development goal as follows:
Indigenous Peoples of Africa concluded that it is imperative for them to demonstrate convincingly to influence makers and decision makers that indigenous peoples are holders of sophisticated indigenous (traditional) knowledge of the environment which is valuable to national resource management planning.
The Bujumbura Action Plan has led to a number of IPACC initiatives to help its member organisations express primarily oral traditional ecological knowledge to decision makers with the help of information communication technology (notably geo-spatial information technology). This has included: an East Africa
n programme on Participatory 3 Dimensional Modelling (P3DM) with the Yiaku, Sengwer and Ogiek forest-based indigenous peoples; a southern Africa
n programme of formalising the assessment and qualification of traditional San trackers - including training with Cybertracker technology; and a pan-African conference on the relationship between Geospatial Information Technology (GIT), traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and effective advocacy held in Windhoek
, Namibia
in August 2008. Participatory mapping projects are also under preparation in Niger
and Gabon
.
IPACC co-organised a consultative forum on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and land Degradation (REDD) with Unissons pour la Promotion des Batwa (UNIPROBA in Burundi) and the World Bank
. The IPACC REDD report noted that current insecure land tenure of mobile and indigenous peoples could lead to further displacements if REDD is not implemented with sufficient attention to safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples as articulated in the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The recent IPACC strategy links indigenous knowledge of ecosystem
s and biodiversity
with more classical advocacy for cultural and land rights
necessary for the survival of herding and hunting communities. IPACC's environmental strategy is supported by important partnerships with the
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
and UNESCO
's Division for Intercultural Dialogue and Cultural Policies.
IPACC is a legally recognised cooperating partner and observer with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), with UNESCO, with the UN Economic and Social Council
, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat and with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
Indigenous peoples of Africa
The indigenous people of Africa are those people of Africa whose way of life, attachment or claims to particular lands, and social and political standing in relation to other more dominant groups have resulted in their substantial marginalisation within modern African states The indigenous people...
in dialogues with governments and bodies such as the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. , IPACC was composed of 150 member organisations in 21 African countries.
Indigenous characteristics in the African setting
IPACC identifies several key characteristics associated with indigenous claims in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
:
- political and economic marginalisation rooted in colonialismColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
; - de facto discrimination based often on the dominance of agricultural peoples in the State system (e.g. lack of access to education and health care by hunters and herders);
- the particularities of culture, identity, economy and territoriality that link hunting and herding peoples to their home environments in deserts and forests (e.g. nomadism, diet, knowledge systems);
- some indigenous peoples, such as the SanBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
and PygmyPygmyPygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually short; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult men grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed "pygmoid." The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
peoples are physically distinct, which makes them subject to specific forms of discrimination.
With respect to concerns expressed that identifying some groups and not others as indigenous is in itself discriminatory
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, IPACC states that it:
- "...recognises that all Africans should enjoy equal rights and respect. All of Africa’s diversity is to be valued. Particular communities, due to historical and environmental circumstances, have found themselves outside the state-system and underrepresented in governance...This is not to deny other Africans their status; it is to emphasise that affirmative recognition is necessary for hunter-gatherers and herding peoples to ensure their survival."
Activities
During the first United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples (1995–2004), IPACC concentrated on human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
standards and normative instruments, notably the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
The Working Group on Indigenous Populations was a subsidiary body within the structure of the United Nations. It was established in 1982, and was one of the six working groups overseen by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the main subsidiary body of the United...
(WGIP) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007....
.
In April 2007, IPACC leaders adopted a new strategy and action plan focussing on improving the engagement of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
in policies dealing with the environment, natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. The plan of action, adopted in Bujumbura
Bujumbura
-Education:The University of Burundi is located in Bujumbura.Hope Africa University is located in BujumburaUniversité du Lac Tanganyika is located in Bujumbura-External links:**...
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
sets out its main development goal as follows:
Indigenous Peoples of Africa concluded that it is imperative for them to demonstrate convincingly to influence makers and decision makers that indigenous peoples are holders of sophisticated indigenous (traditional) knowledge of the environment which is valuable to national resource management planning.
The Bujumbura Action Plan has led to a number of IPACC initiatives to help its member organisations express primarily oral traditional ecological knowledge to decision makers with the help of information communication technology (notably geo-spatial information technology). This has included: an East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n programme on Participatory 3 Dimensional Modelling (P3DM) with the Yiaku, Sengwer and Ogiek forest-based indigenous peoples; a southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
n programme of formalising the assessment and qualification of traditional San trackers - including training with Cybertracker technology; and a pan-African conference on the relationship between Geospatial Information Technology (GIT), traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and effective advocacy held in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
in August 2008. Participatory mapping projects are also under preparation in Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
.
IPACC co-organised a consultative forum on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and land Degradation (REDD) with Unissons pour la Promotion des Batwa (UNIPROBA in Burundi) and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
. The IPACC REDD report noted that current insecure land tenure of mobile and indigenous peoples could lead to further displacements if REDD is not implemented with sufficient attention to safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples as articulated in the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The recent IPACC strategy links indigenous knowledge of ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s and biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
with more classical advocacy for cultural and land rights
Land rights
Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these species of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use agreements, including renting, are an important...
necessary for the survival of herding and hunting communities. IPACC's environmental strategy is supported by important partnerships with the
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and EU member states...
and UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Division for Intercultural Dialogue and Cultural Policies.
IPACC is a legally recognised cooperating partner and observer with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), with UNESCO, with the UN Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat and with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
See also
- List of indigenous peoples
- African Commission on Human and Peoples' RightsAfrican CommissionThe Commission of the African Union acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the AU . It consists of a number of Commissioners dealing with different areas of policy. The Commission is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia...
- Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and EU member states...
- United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
- United Nations Environmental Programme