CONTINENTAL NETWORK OF AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN

SAME PRINCIPLES, NEW LEADERSHIP: CHILDREN AND YOUTH DECLARATION.


March 5 to 8, Hueyapan Community, Morelos - Mexico

Adolescents and young people from various indigenous communities of America, gathered at the VIth Continental Network of American Indigenous Women, held in the indigenous community of Hueyapan - Tetela del Volcán, Morelos State, Mexico; we cast our voices, thoughts and aspirations, with the same strength and hope with which our sisters are behaving.



Valuing, the contributions of our ancestors and elder sisters in the struggle to claim our rights as indigenous people and women. As well as conscious of the need to preserve and guarantee our culture and identity.


Acknowledging, the role that we must now assume for the full exercise of our individual and collective rights, the defense of life, the defense of our mother nature and the land.


Expressing concern, for the lack of direct participation of women, youth and indigenous people in the development of public policies, with unequal distribution of budgets, the enforcement of overdue laws that are inconsistent with achieved international standards, most of all, the lack of urgent actions for the real empowerment to have positive influence in decision-making arenas.



Thus we demand the governments:

• To recognize within the indigenous nature, medicinal plantations and spirituality as means to perpetuate our identity.

• Bilingual Intercultural Education / strengthening of identity.

• Guarantee the education and permanent training of indigenous teachers specialized in Bilingual Intercultural Education.


• Guarantee full scholarships to indigenous youth in order to access to higher education.

• Guarantee in Higher Education Institutions, the implementation of a department specialized on Bilingual Intercultural Education.

• Budget allocation for the implementation of bilingual intercultural education with an emphasis on language teaching at all educational levels, elementary, high school and college levels as well as the incorporation of ancestral knowledge, Weltanschauung and identities of each people.

• Prioritize the construction of intercultural education curriculum, with active community participation, authorities, indigenous leaders and organizations, incorporating indigenous cathedra.

• Statistical Data:

• Redesign the census methodology and application procedure, and incorporate ethnic disaggregated cultural, age and gender data variables in population censuses, household surveys and other vital records.


• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

• Access to information with an appropriate intercultural focus and methodology on sexual rights and reproductive health.

• Promote prevention and care activities such as access to contraception methods based on life projects sensibilization.

• Improvement of public services.

• Certification of births attended by midwives as well as the birth registration and legal identity.


• Incorporation in school curricula of sex and reproductive education with a differential approach and with the companionship of indigenous elder and wise women.

To UN agencies:

• Strengthen the organizational processes of young women in the local, national and international arenas.

• Support the participation of youth in national and international arenas where policies, programs and plans concerning us are decided.

• Strengthen the leadership of indigenous young women and to close economic, social, cultural, civil and political gaps through a comprehensive training program.

• Support in the developing strategies to prevent and eradicate violence against indigenous girls, young women and women with an intercultural approach, designed and driven by the own communities and organizations.

• Work cooperatively with the Continental Network of Indigenous Women and the children and youth commission to implement the proposals expressed in this document, in close consultation with the latter.











To Continental Network and organizations we propose:

• The incorporation of a Commission of Indigenous Children and Youth within the organizational structure of the Continental Network, to promote the exercise of rights and strengthening capacities of new leaders, with direct involvement of youth and permanent support of elder sisters.
• Strengthen the organizational processes of indigenous children and youth from the joint, local, regional and / or national level.
• To build an educational program for indigenous youth, managing workshops on identity, culture, interculturality, indigenous people rights, international instruments, political influence and other advocacy.

• Promote meetings, internships, and intergenerational exchanges with young people within the Continental Network of Indigenous Women and with organizations in other countries of the continent.

• Socialize national and international instruments on the protection of indigenous children and young rights within organizations.

• Indigenous organizations to promote supervisory boards of the rights of children and adolescents in their communities.
• Promote the participation of indigenous children and youth in national and international arenas where they discuss issues concerning indigenous people and issues that concern us with previous preparation and support in the process.
• Promote from CNAIW, economic enterprise programs for women and indigenous youth, considering the generation of a pertinent economy through ancestral knowledge, arts and our own resources.
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• Elaborate projects that affect us as indigenous youth and children, with active involvement in their preparation and authentic decision-making.





We therefore commit ourselves to:

• Contribute to the consolidation of our people and indigenous women's movement as actors of change.

• To further meditate and create awareness of self-identity in children and young people in our communities.

• Be responsible of the exercise of our rights and duties as well as the challenges demanded by our contexts.

• Replicate and report results and lessons learned in this meeting with the organizations and communities where we came from.

• Rescue and help gather information about those indigenous people who have slowly been disappearing and losing their culture.

• Strengthen the organizational processes of indigenous youth in each country.

• Take into account the programs and projects developed by regional organizations of indigenous youth of each country in the agenda of the Committee on Indigenous Children and Youth.

• Use alternative means to divulge our actions and claims as indigenous youth.






The undersigned:

ORGANIZACIÓN
ORGANIZATION
Asociación de mujeres indígenas por el desarrollo integral
CONAMI (Argentina)
Red de Jóvenes Indígenas de Venezuela -
Red de Jóvenes Indígenas de Venezuela
ONIC
Asamblea de Mujeres Indígenas de Oaxaca AMIO – e Ixmucane A.C.
Organización de niños/as Adolescentes y Jóvenes Quechuas ÑOQANCHIQ - ONAMIAP
Federación Nativa de Madre de Dios y Afluentes - FENAMAD
CIARENA A.C.
CIARENA A.C.

Radio Comunitariaddd
AMIDI
Consejo Indígena del Trueque

Kinal

Coordinadora Guerrerense de Mujeres Indígenas
Fuerza y Corazón de las mujeres Indígenas
CONAMUIP

RENJI

Coordinadora de Grupos Culturales Indígenas y Populares

Alianza de Mujeres Indígenas de Centro América y México

TRANSLATED BY: ANA BÁRBARA TORRES TAPIA.
STYLE REVISION BY: RAÚL GREGORIO TORRES MAYA.