WCIP Plan of Operation and Constitutional Matters -- National Congress of American Indians Position Paper
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NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS
WCIP PLAN OF OPERATION AND
CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
A Position Paper
Prepared by the National Congress of American Indians for the
World Council of Indigenous Peoples General Assembly III
Canberra, Australia - 27 April to 2 May, 1981
The WCIP Plan of Operation is an illustration of a
remarkably ambitious organizational effort which reflects the
hopes and desires of the political leadership among indigenous
peoples. It clearly demonstrates that the World Council of
Indigenous Peoples is like no other international "non-
governmental organization" which works within the global
community. In many ways the World Council is more like the United
Nations or the organization of American States, typically known
as intergovernmental organizations. Because of this reality the
World Council suffers under the same difficulties as these other
world governmental organizations. It has no direct power to
create laws, regulate human behavior or control an economic
system. It can only inspire and influence human and institutional
actions.
The WCIP's importance in the global community is
increasingly apparent, but its importance to indigenous nations,
and more specifically communities, tribes and families is nowhere
more obvious than in the Plan of Operation. Because of its
unique presences in the global community the World Council is
widely understood to be an international advocate of indigenous
national or group interests. It is known to promote the
importance of maintaining and protecting indigenous group
existence against exploitation and threats from nation-states,
and those who would take indigenous resources. But, despite this
increasing notoriety within international spheres, and
increasingly among indigenous organizations this role is not well
known directly within indigenous communities and tribes. Indeed,
without this indigenous community level understanding of the
World Council the organization's credibility suffers. The
questions must be asked: "What concrete things can or will the
WCIP do for indigenous communities, tribes and families?" "In
what ways can or will the WCIP directly help indigenous
communities to win their struggles against current or immediate
threats?" "How or can the WCIP make its presence known directly
within the indigenous community?"
To remedy this difficulty it may be desirable and
appropriate that the World Council of Indigenous Peoples (the
WCIP Secretariat, Regional Secretariats and the Secretariats of
each national organization) establish a correspondence interlink
system which is directed at the following things:
1. The establishment of independent community based WCIP
support chapters or societies, and
2. The establishment of direct written communications to
indigenous governments and the WCIP support chapters.
The principle responsibility of national organizations
would be to work toward the establishment of the WCIP community
societies as well as channeling the written correspondence. The
Regional Secretariats and the WCIP Secretariat in Lethbridge,
Canada would be responsible for originating the correspondence
and collating a world wide system of community based WCIP
societies.
Each of the societies would be a local means by which the
community could have access to information about indigenous
peoples elsewhere in the world and they would serve as an
indigenous support group to help their communities or tribes
overcome threats to indigenous group existence. In addition, the
WCIP community societies could work with their indigenous
government to find new alternatives to indigenous development.
Such a system of societies could be helpful in the strengthening
of indigenous nations as well as organizations like the National
Congress of American Indians. Such a networking of indigenous
communities would constitute a clearer explanation of item 11 on
Page 4 of the WCIP Plan of Operation.
Item 12 of the Plan of Operation at Page 4 is an extremely
important objective for the World Council. A greater form of
economic independence would be achieved by this measure. We
strongly urge its immediate implementation.
Item 7 on Page 4 requires greater explanation.
Specifically, which groups would the World Council promote and
precisely in what ways can the World Council be of help?
Item 13 on Page 4 suggests a direct form of economic aid to
indigenous nations or groups. What would be the source of this
economic aid? What role do regional and national organizations
play in the process of developing the sources of funds? How will
the indigenous nations or groups be selected?
Item 15 on Page 4 represents an extraordinary ambitious set
of undertakings. How will regional and national indigenous
organizations play a role in these conferences? How or will
indigenous communities or tribes play a role? What are the
probable or likely sources of funds for these undertakings?
The National Congress of American Indians has adopted its
own Plan of Action for matters related to the World Council. As
of November 1980 we have begun implementing this plan which is in
fundamental accord with the WCIP Plan of Operation.
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