Low attendance hampered conference on environment

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The third-Inter-American Indigenous Congress on the Environment and Economic development opened on Sept. 15 at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre to a small audience.

The purpose of the conference, said Ambassador Arthur Campeau, the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations for Environment and Sustainable Development, was to address those issues omitted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero.

Other outstanding issues of concern to Indigenous peoples in North, South and Central America were also to be discussed.

Campeau introduced the concept of intellectual property rights - the ownership of ideas - and the problems Indigenous peoples have with patent laws which do not recognize traditional ownership and use of medicines, products and concepts.

As an example, he talked of the traditional medicine of the people of Madagascar, which is being used world-wide as a treatment for leukemia.

Profits are in the billions for the drug companies but the Indigenous people who shared their medicine with the world have not benefited at all.

Sharing was discussed later Levina White, Elder of the Haida Nation, who said the strongest philosophy of all Indigenous people on this side of the world is the philosophy of sharing. This is also the philosophy that has caused so many problems for Natives, she said, adding the non-Aboriginal concept of sharing seems to be taking all and returning nothing.

The objectives of the conference, as outlined Willy Wilson, chairman of the National Aboriginal Forestry Association, were:

- Self-reliance for Indigenous peoples with the emphasis on sharing of experiences and ideas among the peoples represented,

- To apply Indigenous perspectives to United Nations stated goals for the environment and economic development.

Attendance at the conference was sparse. Some 1,200 delegates were expected but attendance was closer to 100. Conference organizers said a number of delegates were delayed visa problems in South America, but representation of North American Indigenous people was also very sparse.

The line-up of speakers and topics looked interesting, but a number of speaking didn't show up and some of those that did chose not to speak on the topics on the agenda. Some speakers, such as Mark Krasnick, chief treaty negotiator for the province of British Columbia, chose to quickly read through prepared speeches.