All decrees that discriminate against and oppress the rights of the indigenous community of Fiji should be removed, says Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) general secretary Emele Duituturaga.
The call comes as we marked International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples yesterday.
On September 13, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, (UNDRIP) and designated August 9, as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
“SODELPA calls on the Government to ratify UNDRIP and remove all the decrees that discriminate against and oppress the rights of the indigenous community of Fiji,” Ms Duituturaga said.
“In this regard, SODELPA also aims to protect and promote the interests, aspirations and the rights of indigenous Fijians and their group rights as stipulated under the UNDRIP and the ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Rights and to ensure maximum benefits for current and future generations.”
In commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and also International Youth Day on August 12, SODELPA president Ratu Epenisa Cakobau and vice-president Ro Teimumu Kepa spoke to a gathering of SODELPA youth volunteers thanking them for their active support and encouraging them as agents of change to move Fiji forward.
