U.N. passes declaration backing indigenous rights

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States voting against it.

Though nonbinding, the declaration recognizes the right of native communities to self-determination within nations and sets global human rights standards for the world’s 370 million indigenous people.

Voting in favor of the declaration were 143 nations with 11 nations abstaining and 34 nations not voting. Just four nations voted against it.

“It was not a good day for the United States, but it was a good day for indigenous peoples,” said Robert “Tim” Coulter, director of the Indian Law Resource Center in Helena, who was at the United Nations in New York City for the vote.

Coulter, who wrote the original draft of the declaration that has undergone numerous revisions since it was first presented to the United Nations in 1977, said he was “ashamed” of the position taken by the United States.

A State Department spokeswoman told The Spokesman-Review earlier this week that the United States had “procedural and substantive objections” to the declaration.

“In its current state, the declaration is subject to multiple interpretations,” said Nancy Beck, a State Department public affairs officer. “This will lead to endless disputes about what the declaration means.” She said the declaration also appears to “confer on sub-national groups a veto power” over existing laws.

Coulter said the suggestion that the declaration extends veto power to indigenous people is “without foundation.” He said the dissenting nations simply prefer not to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples.