Native Peoples: Actors of International Relations

Who would have imagined that 500 years after the encounter between the people of Europe and the original population of what is now Mexico, the descendants of those indigenous communities that preserved their identity despite the transformation of their environment after the fall of Mexico- Tenochtitlan, would make the decision, as Zapatista communities in Chiapas, to travel to Europe "seeking not difference, not superiority, not insult, much less forgiveness and pity. We will go to find what makes us equal’’[1].

The fact that the Zapatista delegations are preparing to tour various parts of Europe in 2021, transmitting the message that "they did not conquer us." That we continue in resistance and rebellion; that they do not have to ask us to forgive them anything (...)''[2] is a sample of the international prominence that the Zapatista National Liberation Army has acquired in particular, and the native communities in general.

This active role has gained ground over the years and various struggles to claim the rights of indigenous peoples. They went from having an image of submissive communities without a leading role in the international concert to representing anti-systemic movements of resistance to capitalism and globalization. Beginning in 1923, when Deskaheh, head of the Iroquois League, representing the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, leaves Canada for a mission in Geneva, Switzerland. His goal was to assist the League of Nations (now the United Nations) to recognize the sovereignty of the Iroquois nations. In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the League of Nations, J.E. Drummond, states: ''The members of the State of the six Iroquois nations, which are Mohawk; Oneida; Onondaga; Cayuga; Seneca and Tuscacora, are now and for many centuries have been organized and autonomous peoples within their own domains, and united in the oldest League of Nations, the Iroquois League''[3].

Despite not achieving its goal, the above event is a relevant precedent for the international indigenous movement, which began to take shape in 1970[4]. Some native communities, mainly from America, organized politically to assert their rights. And the United Nations organized two conferences in Geneva with the participation of indigenous delegations. The first, in 1977, addressed discrimination against the indigenous peoples of the Americas. These delegations: 1) rejected the status of “minorities” and demanded that of “peoples”; 2) they called for the revision of Convention 107 of the International Labor Organization (ILO); 3) advocated the creation of a working group at the United Nations to study the specific problems of indigenous peoples; and 4) called for the adoption of an international declaration on their collective rights. The second conference in 1978 was dedicated to the fight against racism and racial discrimination. Its objective was to get States to recognize the linguistic, cultural, economic and territorial rights of indigenous peoples[5].

The international indigenous movement continued to grow and exert more pressure for the fulfillment of their demands. This had results when the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples (WGIP) was created in 1982, whose task is to monitor issues of recognition and protection of the rights and freedoms of indigenous peoples.[6] This group recommended: 1) the adoption of a United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; 2) the organization of an international year dedicated to indigenous peoples and; 3) the review of ILO Convention 107[7].

The previous recommendations eventually had visible effects. In 1989 the ILO adopted Convention 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries. A legal instrument for the protection and promotion of the rights of native peoples, which has been ratified by 23 countries[8]. Also in 2007, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted.

The creation of both mechanisms has been thanks to the efforts of multiple actors, both indigenous and non-indigenous. But in the case of this article, attention is focused on the first group since, despite being one of the most oppressed, excluded and marginalized sectors in their respective societies and contexts, they have managed to establish themselves as social movements and international actors with alternative responses. to current issues and debates.

Beginning by establishing the meaning of "international actors" and "social movements". International actors are every social group that, considered as a unit of decision and action, participates effectively and significantly in those relationships previously defined as fundamental for the structuring and dynamics of a given international society[9]. For their part, social movements are collectives or social groups whose actions are aimed at presenting a precise demand to the authorities, groups or society (local or international)[10].

The indigenous movements emerged as part of the new social movements between the 1970s and 1980s. These, unlike labor, political, ideological and/or national movements, are concerned with different issues: ecology, gender inequality, identity, human rights, to mention a few examples. In other words, the conflicts moved from the industrial economic system (economy, class struggle, capital versus work) to the cultural and identity sphere[11].

The organizations of native peoples managed to build a trans-community indigenous identity, incorporating a growing number of local communities and emphasizing ethnic identity as a unifying link and mobilizing agent. Consequently, indigenous organizations emerged in their respective political arenas, whose leaders would speak on behalf of the general ethnic group and not just of a particular rural community[12].

In the 1970s, there were few formal organizations created and directed by indigenous people that pursued interests for the original peoples as such. By the mid-1990s, the number of associations of all kinds and for various purposes had increased. Organizations at the local level, inter-community and regional associations, national federations, leagues and unions, transnational alliances and coalitions with well-developed international contacts and activities[13].

Said transnational alliances with other groups were formed in order to change the dynamics of globalization and create new forms of independent mobilization of the actions of capital and national states[14]. It was such global processes that made it easier for native peoples to spread their demands and claims to larger and more distant audiences.

The Shuar Federation, established in the 1970s, is one of the first prototype organizations of others. Its objective was to protect the interests of various Shuar communities in the Amazonian lowlands of eastern Ecuador and to defend their territory from outside invaders and commercial interests. In the process of their struggle they discovered that only by joining forces and efforts could they achieve their purpose.[15]

United through confederations and national and international organizations, native peoples gained relevance worldwide, taking advantage of awareness on issues such as climate change, sustainable development and protection of biodiversity. The appearance of the romantic figure of indigenous communities as "guardians of nature" (assigned by the West) opened a space for them on the international stage of environmental organizations and defenders of the environment. For example, during the 1980s and 1990s, indigenous leaders from the Amazon regions received invitations to travel and participate in conferences, meet with other leaders, politicians and politicians from the United Nations, the World Bank, etc.[16].

However, the organizations of indigenous peoples took advantage of the situation in their favor to demand other demands that were not contemplated by non-indigenous sectors. In other words, the Western perception (mainly from Europe and North America) of indigenous peoples corresponds to the dream of having a society in balance with spirit and nature. And it is inevitable that due to their lifestyles, some communities fit into that imaginary. But in addition to their commitments on environmental issues, native peoples also seek their own goals such as self-determination, autonomy and self-government, respect for their traditions, among other rights. Which are a response to the systemic violence that they have experienced since the conquest and colonization of their territories, in addition to their alliances with other local, regional and international native societies to defend them[17].

Some of these global networks of indigenous organizations are: The International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests (Africa, Asia-Pacific and Americas); First Nations Assembly (Canada); Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE); International Indian Treaty Council; Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon; Sámi Council; World Council of Indigenous Peoples; Inuit Circumpolar Council (Alaska; Canada, Greenland and Chukotkha); Indian Council of South America[18].

It should be mentioned that the UN has a mechanism by which various indigenous organizations are formally recognized as consultative entities. In other words, they are given the right to attend various international and intergovernmental conferences and to participate in their work, such as that of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Organizations seeking this type of recognition submit their requests to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations Department of Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ultimately decides whether the application is accepted or denied. However, various indigenous organizations have indicated that this procedure is discriminatory and that the final decision to recognize them as consultative entities has been handled with exclusive political criteria, disregarding their representativeness.[19]

The effective and significant participation of indigenous leaders in decision-making within international activism has positioned them as international actors. Role they played by constantly intervening in WGIP discussions; in the debates prior to the adoption of ILO Convention 169. Also forming part of the governing bodies of the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples and the Caribbean; participating in the consultations carried out by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the preparation of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These are just some of the many examples that can be used to demonstrate that indigenous peoples now have greater contact with representatives from other parts of the world, who have become familiar with international law and the mechanisms and procedures for the protection of human rights in the international system. Issues that have helped them improve their capacity for political negotiation within their countries[20].

Undoubtedly, the constitution of indigenous peoples as international actors that modified their initial discourse of victimization towards the demand for compliance with their human rights is an achievement that is worth recognizing. Thanks to efforts to build local ethnic organizations, form alliances with their peers in other places, and build an international indigenous movement to denounce violations of their rights and propose more sustainable development models at all levels, they now have international and regional mechanisms that support and protect your rights and promote your interests. This protagonism also helped to rethink its disadvantageous relations with the nation states. In short, being indigenous came to represent a recognized political category.