MIRI: The World Indigenous People’s Day (WIPD) celebration started this year with the focus on addressing challenges faced by indigenous people and conveying their needs through the media.

The theme of the celebration is ‘Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices’.

“The United Nations (UN) understands the challenges faced by the indigenous people,” said Kuala Lumpur-based Unicef deputy representative Dr Victor P Karunan who officiated at the launching of the WIPD celebration at Taman Tunku Community Centre here yesterday.

Victor explained the challenges including the indigenous peoples’ desire to preserve their languages, cultures, and lands, as well as the need to convey their concerns and demands to the government through the media.

“They were not given enough access to mainstream media – therefore there’s a need to develop new media like the social media to help them,” said Victor, who also conveyed a message from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on this year’s celebration.

Ban’s message tells of new and powerful tools from community radio and television, video and newspapers, to the Internet and social media being used to challenge mainstream media in drawing attention to human rights violations, forging global solidarity, and developing their own media to reflect their own values, and fighting against myths and misconceptions.

Ban also pledged full support from the UN in working with indigenous peoples and their media, to promote full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Undrip) adopted five years ago.

The aim is to create bridges and establish a truly intercultural world where diversity is celebrated in a world, where different cultures not only coexist but also value each other for their contribution and potential.

“Every country should celebrate the uniqueness of its indigenous people,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Pan-Malaysia Indigenous Peoples’ Network (JOAS) president Thomas Jalong presented a souvenir to Victor after the opening ceremony, and together with JOAS Secretariat director Adrian Lasimbang, accompanied Victor to explore the exhibits and local handicrafts.

source: The Borneo Post