Kenneth Deer, Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation of the Kahnawake Territory – “The Long Journey toward UNDRIP”.

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Atsenhaienton Deer, Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation of the Kahnawake Territory

Introducer: Peter Hajnal; remarks by Peter Russell

Title: “The Development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: A Haudenosaunee Perspective”

Abstract:
Like our Elders tell us, we start all stories at the beginning.

This presentation begins with the establishment of the Haudenosaunee also known as the Six Nations or the Iroquois Confederacy.

Then it moves on to taking our grievances to the international level at the League of Nations in Geneva.

It describes the story of Deskaheh, a Cayuga Chief, who went to Geneva and attempted to speak to the League of Nations in 1923-24.

Years later, the Haudenosaunee returned to Geneva in 1977 to attend a seminal meeting that began the process of the recognition of Indigenous Peoples and their rights which were not recognized by the UN at that time.

In the following years, the presentation describes the development and drafting of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

From 1982 to 2007, the Declaration took longer to finalize than any other Declaration in the UN.

The presentation will describe Canada’s role, both positive and negative, in the process.

Finally, an overview of the Declaration, its most important Articles and any questions from the participants.

Bio: Dr. Deer has been active in promoting and defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the UN system for over thirty years. He participated in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which drafted the original text of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and in the Working Group on the Draft Declaration, which elaborated and edited the Declaration prior to its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 2007.

He contributed to the debate about the rights in the Declaration and organized the Indigenous Peoples Preparatory Meetings which were important for Indigenous representatives to prepare and strategize for meetings with States.

He has advocated for Indigenous Peoples in many international world conferences such as Racism, Sustainable Development, the Information Society, Climate Change and other conferences.

He continues to be engaged at the UN in the role of Chief Executive Officer of Indigenous World Association, an NGO that has consultative status with the United Nations.

He is also a member of the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee and former Secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake.

He was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples by Secretary Ban Ki Moon from 2008 to 2014.

He was the founder and Publisher/Editor of the Eastern Door Newspaper, an award-winning weekly newspaper from 1992 to 2008 serving the community of Kahnawake.

He is a former High School Councillor and High School Principal and advocated for Indigenous Peoples control over their own education.

He is one of the founders of the First Nations Education Council in Quebec.

He was active in his community serving on many Boards of Directors such as the Kahnawake Boys and Girls Club (Now the Kahnawake Youth Center), the Kahnawake Cultural Center, the K103 Mohawk Radio, and was the founder of the Onake Paddling Club, the only Indigenous flatware racing canoe/kayak club in Canada.

He received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Media and Communications in 2010. In 2015 he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Concordia University for his lifetime achievement.

The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/A1quzERbh3. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only. The deadline to register is 8:00am on the morning of the event.