nhsmun 2014 unpfii pacific and oceania position paper

Delegation from Represented by

The Pacific and Oceania Region Kealakehe High School

Position Paper for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

The following issues are before the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues:

Indigenous Youth in Urban Communities and Promoting Indigenous Health in Australia. The

Pacific and Oceania Region notices the socio-economic and health-related needs of indigenous

people and will continue to advocate for the right to equal opportunity and healthcare. We

support all resolutions that promote involvement in urban communities, yet reaffirm the

indigenous right to self-determination.

I. Indigenous Youth in Urban Communities

Discrimination of aboriginal peoples in urban communities instigated by prolonged neglect of

indigenous culture has had a profound impact on the lifestyles of subsequent aboriginal

populations. Minimal social involvement, lack of cultural identity, and lingering prejudice hassle

many middle aged aboriginals into a life of illicit drug use and criminal activity.1 Ensuring the

success of aboriginal youth is essential to the mitigation of many problems that indigenous

peoples encounter; with awareness of these problems, the Pacific and Oceania Region believes in

the integration of indigenous culture into local and urban communities to further encourage

acceptance and develop sustainable relationships seen in indigenous peoples of Hawaii.

Since the spread of western culture during the Age of Discovery in the 1600s, aboriginal

peoples in this region have faced decades of mistreatment. Although the establishment of

indigenous reserves and protected land aims to protect cultures and their heritage, the success of

western cultures pressure aboriginal youth to pursue lives in urban communities.

The Pacific and Oceania Region overlooks 14 UN member states and around 27

dependencies including Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Tonga, Kiribati, New Caledonia, and

1 Indigenous Children and Youth, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuideIPleaflet9en.pdf. (May 6, 2013)



Hawaii.2 Problemsincluding economic, social, cultural and health relatedin this region

remain serious, mainly in the countries of Australia and New Zealand.

In the late 1800s to around 1969, Australian Federal, State, and Territory government

agencies forcibly removed aboriginal children from their families and sent them to be adopted by

non-indigenous families for racial assimilation.3 The forced removal of this generationtermed

the Stolen Generationsirrevocably broke cultural connections and set the norm for aboriginal

mistreatment. My mother and brother could speak our language and my father could speak his. I

can't speak my language. Aboriginal people weren't allowed to speak their language while white

people were around. They had to go out into the bush or talk their lingoes on their own

(Confidential Submission from Queensland, Australia)4 Many children were encouraged to

abandon and deny aboriginal heritage for western ideals.5 The 1975 Racial Discrimination Act

became the first key piece of legislation for aboriginal Australians, ensuring equal opportunity

for people of all backgrounds and outlawing discrimination against people on the basis of race,

color, descent and national or ethnic origin.6 Yet, in 2007, Australia voted against the United

Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)although endorsed in

2009 and has not ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169,

dealing with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples.7 Furthermore, they enacted the

Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) which prompted evidence of abuse and

2 Member Countries, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, http://www.forumsec.org/pages.cfm/about-us/member-

countries/ 3 The History of the Stolen Generations, NSDC, http://www.nsdc.org.au/stolen-generations/history-of-the-stolen-

generations/the-history-of-the-stolen-generations 4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

6 Race Discrimination, Australian Human Rights Commission, http://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-

work/legal/legislation#rda 7 Convention No. 169, International Labour Organization, http://www.ilo.org/indigenous/Conventions/no169/lang--

en/index.htm



potential neglect of children in indigenous communities and town camps in the Northern

Territory, overriding the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975.8

Indigenous people of New Zealandknown as the Morimake up 14.9% of the

population, or around 598,605 persons; 50% of the prison population identify to be Mori ethnic

or of Mori decent.9 The life expectancy of Mori populations is almost 10 years less than non-

Mori populations10 and although the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi11 assured equal standards of

health care and health outcomes indigenous youth in New Zealand do not have equitable

access to appropriate health care compared to non-indigenous youth.12 According to the

National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) Mori youth, ages 15 to 24, had a suicide

attempt rate of 43.7% for males and 18.8% for females compared to 18% of non-indigenous

males and 9.1% of non-indigenous females.13

Despite these issues, New Zealand is also involved

in a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) that will restrict intellectual property

laws and raises concerns regarding Mori rights and accessibility of affordable healthcare.

On the other hand, successful socio-economic involvement allows indigenous peoples of

Hawaii to prosper as a culture. Hawaiian indigenous people, or the Kanaka Maoli, represent

around 20% of the 1.2 million people who reside on the 137 islands, atolls, and reefs of Ka Pae

Aina o Hawaii (the Hawaiian Archipelago). Although researchers believe they have the poorest

health in the state, in comparison to other aborigines in the Oceania region, Kanaka Maoli

receive and benefit from infrastructures put up by the state. One of the only major problems for

8 The Indigenous World, IWGIA, Australia 198-203 (IWGA: 25 May 2013),

http://www.iwgia.org/iwgia_files_publications_files/0613_EB-THE_INDIGENOUS_ORLD_2013.pdf 9 Ibid.

10 2013 Census QuickStats about Mori, Statistics New Zealand, http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census.aspx

11 The Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand Ministry of Justice, http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/waitangi-

tribunal/treaty-of-waitangi 12

Social Networks and Health, Journal of Aboriginal Health Volume 7, (JAH: March 2011)

http://www.naho.ca/documents/journal/jah07_01/07_01_complete.pdf 13

Ibid.



indigenous youth is obesity; 19% of youth are considered to be obese compared to 15% of non-

indigenous youth in the state.14

Many years after the illegal overthrow of their Queen

Liliuokalani, Hawaii was annexed to the United States and stands as the 50th state of the United

Stated of America. Aside from the few who continue to resent western culture,15

indigenous

peoples in Hawaii continue to thrive with the Unites States endorsement of the UNDRIP in

2010 and local declarations such as the Palapala Paoakalani,16

which allows equal opportunity

and right to self-determination. In 2011 the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit

was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, allowing the unification of indigenous peoples across the Oceania

region under the Moana Nui conference; major groups at the convention included Mori of

Aotearoa (New Zealand), Maohi of Tahiti, Rapa Nui, Aboriginals of Australia, First Nations of

Canada, and Ainu of Japan. The Moana Nui conference aimed to initiate and promote an era of

engagement among indigenous peoples of Oceania. It will chart a path, we will talk together to

end alienation of our lands and ourselves said Professor Jon Osorio of the University of Hawaii

Manoa. The establishment of Kamehameha Schools in 1887 promoted prestigious education for

indigenous peoples; as of 2012, Kamehameha had an enrollment of 5,398 students at its three

main campuses as well as 1,317 children enrolled in preschools around the state. Kamehameha

schools have served an estimated 46,923 indigenous Hawaiians in 2011 alone for support of

public education and families throughout Hawaii. The integration of Hawaiian culture into the

local school system promotes respect and understanding of indigenous youth; community lead

conservation efforts, and local respect for indigenous lands allow for the successful protection of

Kanaka Maoli culture.

14

Native Hawaiian Health Factsheet Office of Hawaiian Affairs, 2011 http://www.oha.org/health/downloads/2011NativeHawaiianHealthFactSheet.pdf 15

Ibid. 16

Paoakalani Declaration. Web. http://kaahapono.com/PaoakalaniDeclaration05.pdf



As stated earlier by the Journal of Aboriginal Health, indigenous youth around the world

do not have equitable access to appropriate health care. Many countries have developed

programs to provide for the socio-economic and health related problems of aboriginal peoples,

yet fail to create the infrastructure or reason to access these subsidies; thus, aboriginal

populations do not take advantage of available aid. The Pacific and Oceania region believes that

youth involvement in both community and politics is necessary to reduce the problems that

indigenous peoples encounter; by soliciting for their own community to accept aid and providing

equitable access to subsidies, indigenous youth will be able to prosper in urban communities.

II. Promoting Indigenous Health in Australia

The Pacific and Oceania regionincluding Australianotices the grave health conditions of its

indigenous people. Australias indigenous population is around 2.5% of the population, or

520,000 individuals; health problems remain a big crisis, with high indigenous infant mortality

around 10 to 15% and short life expectancy. 17 According to the Australian Bureau of

Statistics (ABS) life expectancy is currently estimated to be 69.1 years for aboriginal males and

73.7 years for aboriginal females which is 10.6 years less than the life expectancy for non-

indigenous males and 9.5 years less than non-indigenous females.18

"The figures show that the

gap in life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to non-

Indigenous people has narrowed [since previous years], but only slightly," said Bjorn Jarvis,

ABS director of demography.19

Along with health issues, aboriginal Australians also deal with

illicit drug and substance abuse.

17

The Indigenous World, IWGIA, 198-203 (IWGA: 25 May 2013),

http://www.iwgia.org/iwgia_files_publications_files/0613_EB-THE_INDIGENOUS_ORLD_2013.pdf 18

Life Tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, ABS, (2012)

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/3302.0.55.003Media%20Release12010-2012 19

Ibid.



Programs such as The National Aboriginal Health Strategy of 1990 aimed to aid

aboriginal people with health care and allow aboriginals to take control of their own health.20

This initiative never took root in indigenous populations because of their strong belief in cultural

remedies and the lack of medical knowledge; aboriginal people do not trust, and are not aware of

the benefits of provided health care. Without encouraging indigenous peoples to accept

healthcare, such initiatives will quickly fade and become unreasonable resolutions to the current

health problem. To implement any health related program, there needs to be a general

acknowledgement of western healthcare and medicine through education.

In the Hawaiian Archipelago, the Bishop Foundation and Kamehameha Schools has

provided education for youth of Hawaiian decent. These programs allow indigenous Hawaiians

to be aware of benefits from health care, and although Hawaiian people have lower health rates

that the American National Average, people have a higher accessibility than the current

aboriginal Australian population. 21

Youth of aboriginal peoples often find themselves with two identities: the cultural belief

that they are aboriginal, and the pressure to be successful in urban/western community. By

encouraging these removed aboriginal youth to propagate the benefits of healthcare through

education, aboriginal people may support provided health care, social involvement, employment,

and other remedies. The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) provides

educational opportunity for aboriginal Australians. Education is the single biggest factor

preventing better Indigenous employment and career outcomes says AIEF Chairman, Warren

Mundine.22

This program aims to create a long-term, low-cost and sustainable Indigenous

education program in a framework of highly effective management, transparency and

20

Aboriginal Health in Australia 21

Native Hawaiian Health Fact Sheet 22

The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation AIEF, 2014, http://www.aief.com.au/



accountability23 and 93% of all students who graduated through the AIEF Scholarship Program

were able pursue further education or enroll in vocational training and find employment.

Although the Australian Government should endorse healthcare programs for indigenous

people, our priority should be to educate aborigines to acknowledge health care and other health

related remedies. By advocating for education of indigenous people, the awareness and

acceptance will allow failed programs such as the National Aboriginal Health Strategy to

succeed.

23

Ibid.