RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - INTRODUCTION
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• Am I actively seeking ways to build my awareness of Indigenous history, including the impacts of colonialism and the history of the land I live and work on? − What sources have I drawn on for this information? − What is my relationship to this land? What is my personal and family history that brought me to this land? 13 • Am I creating the space and support for Indigenous peoples to reclaim all that was taken from them? 14 UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Principles of Decolonization and Reconciliation
Indigenous peoples across the world have been advocating for their rights for many years. Both in response to this and in response to José R. Martinez Cobo’s study on the discrimination against Indigenous peoples worldwide, the United Nations established a Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982 and began drafting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 1985. 15 UNDRIP set out how governments should respect the human rights of Indigenous peoples and serves as an agreement on how to treat Indigenous peoples. In 2007, UNDRIP was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations by a majority of 144 states in favour. 16 Although Canada was one of the four Nations that had originally voted against adopting UNDRIP, it has since reversed its position and adopted the declaration in 2016. As the most comprehensive international instrument on Indigenous peoples’ rights, UNDRIP represents an important guide for implementing other reconciliation policies and agreements impacting Indigenous peoples. Significantly, UNDRIP establishes the minimum standards for Indigenous peoples’ survival, dignity and well-being and includes 46 articles that describe specific rights, as well as
• Indigenous-led • Community-driven • Collaborative • Mutual respect • Reciprocity • Self awareness and self reflection • Effective communication • Flexibility • Builds capacity • Upholds Indigenous self-determination
13 Indigenous Working Group of the BC Association of Social Workers, “Towards a New Relationship,” (May 2016), https://www.bcasw.org/wp- content/uploads/2011/06/Reconciliation-Toolkit-Final_May-11.pdf 14 Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., Your Guide to Indigenous Relations, https://www.ictinc.ca 15 UN General Assembly, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Accessed July 20, 2020. 16 Ibid.
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