Issue 69 Vol III, August 15, 2008

A N A L Y S I S

SAARC urges joint fight against terror

SOUTH Asian leaders who assembled in Colombo on August 1 and 2 have called for a collective fight to defeat a wave of terrorism which was threatening to engulf the region.

The heads of states and governments pinpointed growing food shortages, rising fuel prices and climate as a major cause of concern for them. They also called for making SAARC relevant to the people and increasing interaction between inhabitants of the world’s sixth most populous region.

The focus of the deliberations, however, was on terrorism because five of the SAARC member states — Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Afghanistan — were among those countries hardest hit by terrorism.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who delivered a hard-hitting speech on the issue of terrorism, warned that terrorism was now getting “institutional nourishment which posed a sinister threat to the future of the region”.

He said terrorism was the result of pursuit of narrow-minded geo-political interests, which would not pay off in the long run. Accusing Pakistan of not having done enough to rein in terrorists, he said the “terrorism and terrorist sanctuaries were gaining greater ground there”.

Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, who did not respond to allegations levelled by Mr Karzai, said that extremism and terrorism not only challenged the country’s value system, but also impacted socio-economic development.

e emphasized that it was the joint responsibility of all countries of the region to get rid of this scourge. “We need to fight terrorism individually as well as collectively.”

He expressed the hope that forthcoming meetings of SAARC police chiefs and interior ministers in Islamabad later this year would focus on strengthening regional cooperation against terrorism.

The prime minister also welcomed the finalization of the text of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, which he believed could help in fighting terrorism.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while condemning terrorism, said it had continued to rear its ugly head in the region, and called for acting jointly and with determination to fight it. He warned against any let-up in this fight.

“We cannot afford to lose the battle against ideologies of hatred, fanaticism and against all those who seek to destroy our social fabric.”

In a cautionary note, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed said: “The deadly fangs of terrorism are spreading across the region. They threaten to disrupt peace and stability.”

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said that no country in the SAARC region had been spared of terrorism plague. His remarks came as Colombo adopted unprecedented security measures with nearly 22,000 police and troops deployed to guard 400 delegates from member states and observer countries.

Mentioning the severe food shortages and rising fuel prices, Mr Rajapakse said such a crisis had never been witnessed before. “Today, as never before, we are confronted with global issues of food and energy insecurity and climate change. Food prices in international markets have increased by 54 per cent in the past year alone. World oil prices have increased by 300 per cent over the past four years. These are statistics of near despair,” he said, and called for converting this challenge into opportunity.

Prime Minister Gilani, while sharing the concern about the food shortages, said that despite having fertile lands and developed irrigation systems, the agrarian societies of South Asia, which exported food to the rest of the world, were now sadly confronted with a situation where they had to look to the rest of the world for its food security.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed asked for making food security a corner-stone of poverty alleviation initiatives.

“Ensuring self-sufficiency in cereal production and attaining food security would require greater attention to agricultural productivity and should be the critical element in poverty-reduction strategy.”

Manmohan Singh warned that unprecedented increase in oil and food prices risked jeopardizing the developmental gains made by the region.

He asked SAARC to make its voice heard in the councils of the world for an effective global response that protected interests of oil consuming countries. He also demanded pooling regional resources to tap renewable sources such as solar energy, hydropower and wind energy.

Almost all leaders supported the call for early ratification of establishment and operationalising of the proposed food bank for regional preparedness to meet food shortages through development of strategic buffer stocks of staple foods.

President Karzai offered his country’s role in transfer of energy from Central Asia to the region, saying his country offered the cheapest and shortest route to energy reserves of Central Asia.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin voiced concern about the climate change and said it had become a major cause of concern for the region.

“South Asia is acutely vulnerable to global warming and climate change. The melting of Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels, drought and desertification, increasing salinity in our rivers are most visible manifestations of the changing climate. In South Asia, global warming is rendering natural disasters frequent and more intense, causing greater damages and devastation to lives and livelihood.”

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said that no challenge had greater capacity for calamity than global climate change.

“One can not overemphasize the adverse effects that climate change is having on fundamental human rights such as the right to life, shelter and a sustainable livelihood,” said Gayoom. He said that global climate change policies were still driven more by economic rationale rather than human security.

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SAARC Summit, India should come to the Asian Fold
Sawraj Singh

THE just ended 15th summit of the SAARC countries showed that the South Asian countries are moving toward greater unity, cooperation and tilting to the East.  They want to be a part of the rising Asia. The Eastern region and the South East Asian region have made tremendous progress. Compared to those regions the South Asian region is still very less developed and the countries in this region have one of the lowest standards of living in the World.

The eight members India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives came together in Sri Lanka for the summit. India, the largest country of the block, pushed hard its agenda that terrorism is the main problem of the region. While the other countries agreed with India that terrorism is a very big concern but they did not agree with India’s definition of terrorism. They are still working on the definition of terrorism.

On the other issues there was more consensus and unity. All the countries agreed that they should move toward a free trade among the countries. All also agreed on the need of securing food supplies for the region. Similarly all agreed that securing energy supplies should also be a great priority. There was support for the gas pipe from Iran, via  Pakistan to India.

There seems to be a greater understanding among the members that time has come for the region to catch up with the rest of Asia.

If we look at the other regions in the World then it becomes obvious that all the regions are moving toward a greater regional cooperation. Europe, Africa and South America have already established united organizations such as the European Union and the African Union.  Even the South East Asian countries have formed the ASEAN.

It is high time that SAARC countries move to form a South Asian Economic alliance on the patron of the European Union. The countries of the South Asia have more similarities and common ties compared to the countries of Europe. We share a common civilization and value system.

The major problem in the region has been that the leading country, India, has always tilted toward the West. Even now, India has not lost interest in exploring an anti China alliance with the West. India’s attitude has so far prevented the region’s integration with the rest of Asia as a result of this the region lags far behind the East Asia and the South Asia.

India should change its policy and tilt toward the East. Every day it is becoming clearer that compared to the West ,the East is rising. This is Asia’s century. For the South Asia to become a part of the rising force it has to form a South Asian Economic Alliance.

[Sawraj Singh, M.D.F.I.C.S. Chairman Washington State Network for Human Rights Chairman Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice]

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Indigenous people: U.S. and Canada found guilty of racism
Haider Rizvi of the IPS write from New York

THE international community now fully recognises the native peoples’ right to protect their lands and live distinct lifestyles. Yet, most of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples continue to face abuse and injustices at the hands of state authorities and commercial concerns.

"We must look at the substantial successes we have been able to achieve, but also reflect on how far we have to go," Ben Powless of the Indigenous Environment Network told IPS on the eve of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Though pleased with the U.N. General Assembly’s decision last year to approve the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, Powless and other activists say they have no reason to believe that those who have occupied their native lands are willing to change their behaviour.

"Governments in the past have been complicit in genocides, land seizures, massive environmental degradation, and many other human rights abuses because [indigenous peoples] were denied their fundamental rights and freedoms," said Powless, a Mohawk whose nation’s territory is now divided between modern-day Canada and the United States.

Last year when the 192-member U.N. General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, both the U.S. and Canada were among a handful of countries that voted against it.

"This shows how far we still have to go to make sure that states acknowledge and protect indigenous peoples’ rights, for if they continue not to, we have many examples of the grave results," said Powless.

Recently, both the U.S. and Canada were found guilty by a Geneva-based U.N. rights watchdog, which keeps track of violations of the 1968 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) told Canada to take "appropriate legislative or administrative measures to prevent the acts of transnational corporations on indigenous territories."

CERD took the Canadian government to task in response to a petition filed by indigenous organisations that charged private businesses from Canada were unlawfully involved in the exploitation of their lands located in the U.S.

The petition particularly focused on the situation facing the Western Shoshone -- a Native American tribe whom some non-natives refer to as "Snake Indians," although in their own language they are called Newe people.

Stretching across the states of Nevada, California, Idaho, and Utah, the Shoshone land is currently the third largest gold producing area in the world. Numerous multinational corporations are operating in the Shoshone land, and many are planning to move in.

Many of these companies -- which include Bravo Venture Group, Nevada Pacific Gold, Barrick Gold, Glamis Gold, Great Basin Gold, and U.S. GoldCorp according to the complaint -- are registered in Canada.

Indigenous activists say that many areas where mining is taking place have been used by their communities for spiritual ceremonies and other cultural purposes for thousands of years. Certain areas are home to Shoshone creation stories and are vital to indigenous traditions of acquiring knowledge.

Shoshone elders have repeatedly charged that the enormous amount of toxic material produced as a result of mining is causing enormous damage to the health and well being of their people and the environment.

In 2006, in response to the Western Shoshone petition, CERD also assailed the U.S. government for violating the tribes’ rights and said Washington had run afoul of the international antiracism treaty.

The 18-member U.N. panel of experts said it had "credible information" that the Shoshone were being denied their traditional rights to land. CERD said the U.S. government must cease all commercial activities on tribal lands, including mining operations.

The U.S. recognised Shoshone rights to their land under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1979 that the pact gave Washington trusteeship over tribal lands.

The federal government justified its position by saying that tribe members had abandoned traditional land tenure and practices and cited "gradual encroachment" by non-natives as evidence to claim much of the land as federal territory.

The Western Shoshone, in their petition to the U.N. panel, countered that "gradual encroachment" in fact took place as part of a U.S. policy to steal their lands, and that this constituted racism.

Shoshone leaders said they went before CERD because they had exhausted all other legal options to prevent the U.S. government from taking over their ancestral lands. For similar reasons they had to challenge the actions of the Canadian government.

In addition to recommending legal steps to change corporate behaviour, the U.N. panel also asked Canada to submit a report on the effects of the activities of transnational corporations in Canada on indigenous peoples abroad.

Mindful that relations between indigenous communities and governments in many parts of the world remain tense, officials at the U.N. Secretariat are currently trying to arrange seminars and meetings to create a cordial atmosphere for mutual understanding and reconciliation.

"Reconciliation between indigenous peoples and states can take many forms that differ from country to country," according to the U.N., "Generally it involves recognition for past injustices, justice for victims and the healing of relationships.

The U.N. has described the adoption of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007 -- after more than 20 years of negotiations among states and indigenous peoples, under the mediation of the U.N. -- an "historic act of reconciliation".

In a message to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "The result of more than two decades of negotiations, [the Declaration] provides a momentous opportunity for states and indigenous peoples to strengthen their relationships, promote reconciliation, and ensure that the past is not repeated."

Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, called the Declaration "a manifestation of reconciliation between indigenous peoples and states -- and a mechanism for carrying that reconciliation forward."

Meanwhile, Powless thinks that certain powerful countries are unlikely to change their attitudes towards indigenous peoples unless a majority of their citizens are informed enough to hold those accountable who play a powerful role in shaping public policy.

"The wider public must understand indigenous peoples’ rights and concerns," he said. "They must act to protect them because as the most marginalised group in this world, it spells out how the rest of us will be treated, and is also the surest way to protect our last remaining ecosystems."

Many climate change scientists share this view. They think the indigenous peoples can play a vital role in preserving biodiversity and the planet’s resources because they live in close proximity with nature.

[Courtesy IPS]

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