The 21st May 2013 was a decisive moment concerning the well-being and future access to health for all indigenous peoples across the world
The 21st May 2013 was a decisive moment concerning the well-being and future access to health for all indigenous peoples across the world: representatives from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UN agencies, Member States and indigenous leaders from all over the world came together on this day to agree and support landmark policy recommendations pertaining to indigenous peoples’ health and diabetes at the UN headquarters in New York.
The process leading up to this high-level meeting and decision was initially catalysed in March 2012, when a Call to Action, developed at an Expert Meeting organised by the World Diabetes Foundation and co-hosted by the International Diabetes Federation, addressed specific areas of intervention to improve access to diabetes prevention and care for indigenous peoples.
The staggering prevalence of diabetes in indigenous peoples is a dire health inequality. Half of all indigenous adults over the age of 35 have type 2 diabetes and the prevalence of diabetes in some populations has reached such epidemic proportions that it places the very existence of indigenous communities at risk. Diabetes in pregnancy and gestational diabetes also poses a major threat to indigenous women, whose reproductive health is closely linked to the future risk of their offspring developing diabetes, and thus creates an intergenerational ‘amplifier’ of the disease.
The Expert Meeting in Copenhagen provided a forum for interaction between stakeholders to share perspectives and best practice while pursuing the realisation of the objectives of the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Meeting participants included a broad range of expert stakeholders including indigenous representatives from 15 countries, international health experts, renowned researchers, special rapporteurs on indigenous issues from the UN, representation from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Diabetes Foundation project partners and academics.
To elevate this process to the next level the World Diabetes Foundation took part in the Twelfth Session of the Permanent Forum in May 2013 at the UN Headquarters in New York and engaged in the debate with indigenous leaders and representatives from all continents to garner support for the strategic recommendations which were formed as part of a collective, engaging and inclusive process. On 21st May 2013, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues listened and acted decisively by tabling the strategic recommendations at the plenary session.
To further build on this political momentum, the World Diabetes Foundation organised an advocacy meeting on 10 June 2013 in connection with the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference in Alta, Norway leading up to the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to be held in New York in 2014. The advocacy meeting was co-hosted by the International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs and the Sami Parliament. The key objective of this meeting was to highlight the burden of diabetes amongst indigenous peoples with particular focus on maternal health and gender issues.
In his opening remarks at the advocacy meeting, His Excellency, Mr. Damien Miller, Australian Ambassador to Denmark, Norway and Iceland said: “I am greatly honoured and delighted to address participants at this auspicious event. Today, I speak to you not only as an Ambassador, but also as a representative of the Australian aboriginal indigenous community. Most indigenous peoples with diabetes around the world are never diagnosed; they never receive treatment for diabetes and die from the condition without knowing the reason for their suffering. The Government of Australia has taken decisive steps to address this urgent public health issue and also address this at the community level amongst indigenous aboriginals. I hope this important meeting will underline the future course of action needed in order to halt the diabetes epidemic that poses a grave threat to the health and lives of the worlds estimated 350 million indigenous peoples.”
At the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference in Alta, Norway, indigenous leaders and representatives from civil society concluded that now more than ever, indigenous peoples’ needs and views must be included in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, where the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will most likely be redefined and adapted to a changing world.
“As a Board Member of the World Diabetes Foundation and former Vice Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, I am truly proud to be able to bring the issue of indigenous health and diabetes onto the global health agenda within such a short time span,” says Ms. Ida Nicolaisen who spearheaded this initiative at the World Diabetes Foundation. Reflecting on the outcome, Ms. Nicolaisen further elaborates: “To ensure indigenous peoples’ participation in the implementation of the UN Political Declaration,
Global NCD Targets and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, governments need to build an enabling environment for civil society – including clear roles, consultation and engagement of NGOs and indigenous organisations.”
“This will also require investments in capacity building at the country level, support for the engagement of civil society and monitoring and evaluation. Collaborative and multisectoral partnerships will be needed to drive action at all levels – including intersectoral collaboration between different UN agencies and the vital participation of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,” she concludes.