Media Centre

Until 1927, say Blade Witbooi and Helena Steenkamp, other races could obtain a permit to hunt and kill the Bushmen as they might the oryx or wildebeest.

Those days are gone but Steenkamp says racism against the Bushmen has persevered beyond the collapse of apartheid – and it comes from South Africa’s ”blacks and coloureds who still look down on us”.

In Australia this week, Witbooi and Steenkamp found support from the first peoples of about 50 countries who gathered in Darwin for the first World Indigenous Network conference of rangers and land and sea managers.

It was an ambitious aim: pulling together a new network connecting indigenous people from around the world – and hosting a conference for them within a year.

Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the creation of the World Indigenous Network at the Rio+20 conference in 2012.

Eleven months later, I’m in Darwin for the organisation’s first meeting: 1,200 participants pulled together from over 50 different countries. On Wednesday, the throng of people outside the convention centre represented not so much the United Nations, but “tribes of the world, unite!”

An Indigenous advocacy group is trying to break the record in Darwin for the largest ever ball of string

The organisation behind the attempt is Together Dreaming, who have travelled to the Territory from the NSW south coast town of Gerringong for the first World Indigenous Network conference.

Together Dreaming founder Kelli Ryan says the conference provides an incredible opportunity to network with other groups and weave some great stories.

Some good-byes can actually mean the start of a long road working together. That was how it felt at the end of the World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference in this northern Australian city.

The big challenge is to consolidate “the indigenous network so its collective voice can be heard” and to get governments to implement its proposals, said one of the 10 speakers chosen by the delegations from more than 50 countries to sum up what was discussed in four days of sessions at the May 26-29 conference.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has backed calls to recognise Australia’s first people in the constitution.

James Anaya is the keynote speaker at the first World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin today.

Professor Anaya said he first called for constitutional recognition in a report on Australian Indigenous rights in 2010.

“It’s important for indigenous peoples wherever they live, whatever country they live, to feel genuinely included within the societies on terms that are equitable and are based on recognition and their rights as distinct peoples,” he said.

Mr Peter Okwechime, Business Adviser on Monday observed that Africa can boast of enough natural resources to create wealth and improve the livelihood of its people.

He said the problem, however is lack of effective and efficient management.

Mr Okwechime, Business Adviser to the Government of Papua New Guinea said leaders need efficient and effective planning with appropriate consultation with the grassroots as well as modern innovation skills  to turn the fortunes of the continent around.

He made the observation in an interview with Ghana News Agency at the on-going World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference.

Ol as peles blong Torres Strait Islands blong Australia na Arnavon Conservatioin Community long Solomon Islands i laik long dispela wokbung namel long tupela aninit long World Indigenous Network imas noken stop.

It is a long way from the remote snow-covered mountains of Sweden to Darwin but for Elisabeth Utsi Gaup it has been a journey worth taking so she can get her message out about the plight of her people.

DARWIN, Australia , May 28 2013 (IPS) - “Are you a park ranger?” IPS asked. “No, I am one of the owners of the territory,” Ángel Durán responded in a firm voice. The Bolivian indigenous leader is in this northern Australian city along with 1,200 other native delegates from over 50 countries for the World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference.

Durán, who was born in and lives on a collectively-owned native territory, is attending the conference in representation of eight native groups from Bolivia’s Amazon region that total more than 20,000 people.

DARWIN, Australia, May 28, 2013 /CNW/ – As a keynote speaker at the inaugural meeting of the World Indigenous Network,Ashley Iserhoff , Deputy Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) shared the Cree Nation’s experience of land stewardship and governance in Northern Québec with an international audience of Indigenous youth, elders and leaders. The World Indigenous Network is being developed as a means for indigenous peoples to share their experience in land and sea stewardship.

Speaking upon invitation from the Australian Government, who is a key partner and host in the launch of the World Indigenous Network, the Deputy Grand Chief’s presentation drew upon the Crees long history of care and management of their land, Eeyou Istchee, in the context of their emerging role in governance. This history includes the Crees’ opposition to hydroelectric development, and more recently, the Crees’ successful request for a moratorium on uranium mining.

Of particular focus was the Cree Nation’s recent launch of the Broadback Watershed Conservation Plan. The Deputy Grand Chief explained to conference delegates how the Broadback River is under threat from forestry, mining development and the negative impact that this is having on the Cree way of life and on the endangered woodland caribou. Mr. Iserhoff used the Broadback Watershed Conservation Plan to illustrate the Crees’ long-term protection strategy for Eeyou Istchee as an expression of their commitment to being responsible stewards of their lands.

A representative from an Indonesian ranger group says Northern Territory rangers are providing valuable insight into caring for country and protecting marine species.

Yayasan Pulau Banyak is one organisation visiting Darwin this week as part of the first World Indigenous Network conference, which is focussing on knowledge-sharing between traditional cultures.

Director Maggie Muurmans says a recent exchange program with Australian rangers visiting Indonesia shows that although their environments may be different, Indigenous groups have a lot to learn from one another’s experiences.

“We’ve seen really good outcomes… especially in understanding of neighbouring countries and the issues that have arisen in terms of marine debris and conservation,” she said.

Mr Edward Amankwah Executive Director of Youth Action International, an Accra based Civil Society on Monday urged government to pay attention to the implementation of biological diversity conventions.

“Government needs to enact the necessary regulations, provide resource and straighten the structures to halt degradation and deforestation and ensure the sustainable use and conservation of the biodiversity,” he said.

Mr Amankwah gave the advise in an interview with Ghana News Agency at the on-going World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference.

The event is being attended by about 1,500 delegates from more than 50 countries including Ghana, to share stories, knowledge, cultural experiences and ideas on how to better manage ecosystems, protect the environment and support sustainable livelihoods.

The international network of indigenous and local community land and sea managers has become an official part of the United Nations after the Australian Government handed its management to the Equator Initiative.

DARWIN, Australia, 27 may 2013 (IPS) - “¿Usted es guardabosque?”, preguntó IPS. “No, yo soy dueño del territorio”, respondió con seguridad Ángel Durán, un líder indígena de Bolivia que llegó a esta norteña ciudad australiana junto a otros 1.200 delegados de pueblos originarios procedentes de más de 50 países.

Durán, quien manifiesta ser uno de los propietarios del territorio donde nació y vive, participa en la Conferencia Mundial de la Red Indígena (WIN, por sus siglas en inglés) en representación de ocho pueblos de la Amazonia boliviana, que suman más de 20.000 integrantes.

A spectacular view of the ocean at daybreak, the full moon and stars at night provided the perfect backdrop to exchange ideas about environmental best practices, cross cultural sea/land management experiences and indigenous knowledge.

At the Gambanan campsite at One Arm Point, Kimberly West Australia, the event is a three-day exchange programme between Mexican Comcaac Rangers and Kimberley Land Council Land and Sea Managers.

It was an eye-opener. Alberto Mellado Moreno, a Comcaac Ranger from Mexico who has travelled to Australia with four of his colleagues for the Exchange, says gatherings as such prove that most challenges in managing the environment are global issues, deserving global attention.