Eva Biaudet selected as member of United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Press release 135/2010
28 April 2010
The Finnish nominee Eva Biaudet was selected as a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues following elections in New York on 28 April.
Biaudet received 38 votes. She competed with the nominees from Australia and Spain for the two seats reserved for the Western European and other States. The other selected nominee was Megan Davis of Australia. The elections were held at the UN Economic and Social Council. The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) operates under the Economic and Social Council.
Supported by all Nordic countries, Eva Biaudet was selected as a member of PFII for the term 2011-2013. She used to work as an OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in 2006-2009. Biaudet has extensive experience of issues pertaining to minority status, gender equality, children's rights, and local issues of the Arctic region.
PFII was founded in 2002. Finland was one of the most active drivers of establishing the Forum. The Forum has become an important global actor bringing together representatives of the indigenous peoples and the UN member states.
PFII is promoting implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in 2007. Over the recent years the Forum has discussed the impact of the climate change on indigenous peoples, development issues, indigenous peoples' opportunities to participate on political decision-making, international forest policy, and violation of human rights of the indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum is comprised of sixteen independent experts. Eight of the members are nominated by governments. The eight members nominated by indigenous organisations are appointed by the President of Economic and Social Council. The UN member states have an observer status in the Forum's activities. Indigenous organisations are working very actively in the Forum.
Finland has financed the PFII operations and given special support for the representatives of indigenous peoples from developing countries. Promotion of the rights of the indigenous peoples is one of the priorities in Finnish international human rights policy and a pervasive theme in Finnish development policy.
PFII is presently in its 9th session until 30 April. The key theme is development, culture and identity. As before, the Finnish delegation includes representatives of the Finnish Sámi Parliament and the Sámi youth.
Further information: Sofie From-Emmesberger, Head of the Unit for Human Rights Policy, tel. +358 9 1605 5651, Janne Jokinen, Counsellor, tel.
+358 9 605 5068, e-mail [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>.