CSO Forum Nairobi 2017 Side Event on Aiding Militarism

AIDING MILITARISMBy ATAMA KATAMA

PACOS Trust Sabah, Malaysia

Presented at CSO Forum Nairobi, 29th November 2016

Brief BackgroundAccording to the United Nations, there are approximately 400 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, making up more that 5,000 distinct tribes. Together we are one of the largest minority group in the world, spanning over 90 countries. While Indigenous Peoples total only about 6% of the worlds population, we represent 90% of the cultural diversity. Indigenous Peoples hold 20% of the earth’s land mass. That land harbors 80% of the worlds remaining biodiversity.

Open pit mining in Indonesia

Developmen

t Aggression

Brief BackgroundIn nearly every region of the world, indigenous peoples are being displaced and severely impacted by violence and militarism. Militarism in indigenous territories presents a direct threat to the lifestyle and survival of indigenous peoples and has significant effects on indigenous communities. These adverse effects include: the pollution of ancestral and sacred lands, forests and waters as well as the destruction of wildlife in impacted areas; the dumping of toxic, including nuclear, waste, which renders indigenous lands unproductive, and the use of explosives and landmines, which contaminate the land and cause injuries, mutilations and death among the civilian indigenous population. (WGIP (2006), paras. 11, 12 and 13)


Brief BackgroundMilitarism to gain control over Indigenous Peoples lands, territories and waters and all natural resources therein, in violation of Indigenous Peoples rights to free prior informed consent (FPIC), and without restitution or compensation. The remaining biodiversity in the world are in indigenous lands, territories and waters.


Developmen

t Aggression

AID & MilitarismAid is not a “carrot” for imposing conditions to resolve conflict. Imposed conditions, particularly those relating to policy prescriptions, are incompatible with democratic governance and local ownership of processes to establish policies for peace.


AID & MilitarismAny terms in an aid relationship must be fairly and transparently negotiated with participation and accountability to people living in poverty and in line with the principles of international human rights and humanitarian law.


AID & MilitarismDonor mechanisms for a whole-of-society coordination of defense, diplomacy and development policy in zones of conflict must give priority to the humanitarian interests of people affected by conflict, not the security interests of the donor states.


AID & MilitarismConflict prevention and peace operations should explicitly protect the space for independent humanitarian and civil society actors, clearly separate from military forces on the ground.


AID & MilitarismAs militarism grows in response to an increasingly unstable world and threatens instead to take the world into greater instability and war, the rights of the poor need to be championed as we work together for peace and development.


AID & MilitarismIn the context of conflict, development cooperation must be even more clearly guided by binding obligations under international human rights instruments and agreements and must be the framework for building improved donor coherence;


AID & MilitarismAccording to the UNHCR-Philippines, from March to September 2015, thirteen (13) Lumad leaders, activists, community members that includes children were killed in 5 incidents of extrajudicial killings and 4 massacres. There were at least 6 incidents of forced evacuations from the provinces of Sarangani, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, and Surigao Del Sur that involved more than 4,000 individuals, mostly indigenous peoples. They fled their homes and communities, out of fear of death and military presence in their lands. At present, over 5,000 IPs are known to remain displaced and many communities at risk of displacement.


SDG # 16 and Militarism

RECCOMMENDATIONS

Reccommendation Give primacy to human rights: donors must carry out their development cooperation, including all actions relating to conflict prevention, intervention and reconstruction, guided by their binding obligations under international human rights instruments and agreements.


Give primacy to local actors for peace: donors must recognize democratic national actors, including local civil society working for peace, as the owners and drivers of the resolution of conflicts. Democratic national actors, including local civil society, are the owners and drivers for the resolution of conflict and people-centered approaches to security must be strengthened.


Protect the integrity of aid for poverty eradication.

Improve donor coherence, consistent with human rights obligations.

All avenues for promotion of peace must be exhausted and the UN system reformed for effective democratic multilateral resolution of conflict.

Reform the UN and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) for democratic, multilateral management of conflict.


Strengthen people-centered approaches to security: security assistance by donor countries and the democratic reform of the security sector must be governed first and foremost by their obligations under domestic and international human rights instruments and provisions, and they must be transparent, accountable and screened for potential human rights impacts.


Thank you!

Government & Nonprofit

CSO Forum Nairobi 2017 Side Event on Aiding Militarism