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Commission on Human Rights
58th session
15 April 2002



Statement by Mr. Mick Dodson,
Member of the Board of Trustees of
the United Nations Voluntary Fund
For Indigenous Populations



I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me this opportunity to address the Commission on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. The Commission has before it the main report by the Secretary-General on the status of the Fund, submitted to the last session of the General Assembly (A/56/206), as well as updated information submitted by the High Commissioner to the present session of the Commission, in document E/CN.4/2002/84.

It is a pleasure to inform the Commission that the mandate of the Fund was expanded by General Assembly resolution 56/140 of 19 December 2001 by deciding that the Fund should also provide assistance to representatives of indigenous organizations and communities to attend, as observers, the sessions of the newly established Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Secretariat received more than 400 applications. During inter-sessional consultations in March 2002, the Board of Trustees considered the admissible applications received within the established deadline and in accordance with the criteria for selection and the money available in the Fund, the Board recommended to the Secretary-General to approve the allocation of 25 travel grants from the different indigenous regions of the world.

The 15th session of the Board of Trustees was held from 3 to 5 April 2002. At this session the Board reviewed 232 new applications for travel grants from representatives of indigenous organizations and communities to attend the 20th session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and 27 applications to attend the 8th session of the Working Group on the draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples in 2002.

Taking into consideration the criteria for selection established by the General Assembly, other criteria approved by the Secretary-General, funds already available and new contributions received for this session, the Board adopted recommendations for the approval of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General. Upon their approval they will be reflected in the Report of the Secretary-General to the 57th session of the General Assembly as well as in the Note by the Secretariat to the 20th session of the Working Group for Indigenous Populations in July 2002.

Taking into consideration the number of requests received in 2002, the new mandate of the Fund and that the Board recommended for expenditure almost all the money available in the Fund at its 15th session in 2002, the Fund would need an amount of US$800,000 before the next session of the Board of Trustees in 2003.

The General Assembly in its resolution 56/140 appealed to all Governments and organizations to consider contributing to the Fund with a substantial increase in the level of contributions. Similarly, the Commission of Human Rights in its resolution 2001/59 and the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in its resolutions 2001/10 and 12, appealed to all Governments, organizations, including non-governmental organizations and indigenous groups and individuals in a position to do so to contribute to the Fund. I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to the Commission and all regular and potential donors to generously contribute to the Fund to enable the Fund and Board of Trustees at its next session in 2003 to recommend new grants to assist indigenous peoples worldwide.

I thank you very much Mr. Chairman.