Future Dreaming: A Celebration of Indigenous Culture and Innovation in Australia

Minister Fierravanti-Wells,
Ambassador Quinn,
Mr. Gurry,
Mr. Magid,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are heirs to the longest continuous cultural history on the planet. For at least 50,000 years, Aboriginals have preserved their knowledge, values and beliefs through song, dance, paintings and storytelling. Tonight, we have the pleasure of engaging with artists steeped in the cultures of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. Allow me to express my gratitude to the Permanent Missions of Australia for tonight’s event. I would also like to thank our host: the World Intellectual Property Organization. Special thanks to tonight’s performers: the Bangarra Dance Theatre.

Aboriginal culture and spirituality are rooted in “the Dreaming”. Most explanations of this philosophy begin with the descent of Ancestor Spirits to earth, where they created the land, plants and animals, binding all three to one another. To the Aboriginals, the Dreaming is ongoing and never-ending and it is their responsibility to “look after country” or engage in a wide range of ritual, ceremonial and cultural practices meant to preserve creation.

This philosophy of sustainability may help explain the unparalleled longevity of Aboriginal civilization in an often hostile and precarious environment. While they have left their mark on the ecosystems of their continent, the Aboriginals also developed the traditions and expertise that enabled them to live sustainably. The experience of the Aboriginals and other indigenous peoples resonates at a time when the international community is working to reach the ambitious goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Success in this effort will depend on our ability to address the challenges facing the 370 million indigenous peoples.

While they make up five percent of the world’s population, indigenous peoples represent 15 percent of its poor. Traditional indigenous territories encompass 22 percent of the world’s surface and 80 percent of its biodiversity. Yet, states and developers only recognize a fraction of indigenous land claims in their pursuit of resources and land; a tension that too often leads to human rights violations. Discrimination and poor access to public services, meanwhile, maintain inequalities between indigenous peoples and their neighbours.

Recognizing these challenges, the Agenda 2030 mentions indigenous peoples six times, with a focus on their economic empowerment, education and public engagement. In addition, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are universal and can only be reached if no one is “left behind”, including indigenous peoples. The SDGs also put human rights up front, recognizing that peace and development cannot be achieved without human rights.

It is perhaps in this field, that the international community has been most active for indigenous peoples in the last 20 years. In September 2007, Member States adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which set up global standards on their treatment. Here in Geneva, the international human rights hub, the voice of indigenous peoples resonates. The Human Rights Council’s complaint procedures and Universal Periodic Review give their activists a voice. For its part, the Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples regularly spotlights issues of particular interest to these communities, while the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights highlights violations.

Through these efforts, the international community is coming together to address the damaging history of colonization, marginalization and discrimination against indigenous peoples. In the process, we may hope to learn from indigenous peoples and, in doing so, reimagine our relationship with nature and our place in it for a sustainable planet and future.

Thank you very much.