As a young person I feel a strong responsibility towards the dream for Universal dignity, compassion and basic Human Rights ... as a form of true human development. It is difficult for me to speak about economic development without talking about basic rights to lands and resources, culture and identity, and self-determination. While looking into the future, we have to ensure that Human rights and environmental abuses are not committed in the name of economic development. There is a clear connection between pressing environmental issues and human rights abuse. The stereotypical image of indigenous peoples being savages, primitive and ignorant …and our developed nations being more civilized and advanced is not accurate by any means, taking into consideration that in the name of development we are the leaders of Environmental destruction ….

Destroying our earth’s eco system and endangering our children’s future. We are ignoring the fact that we cannot eat, drink or breath profit or money!!! yes">Traditionally indigenous peoples around the world have live in harmony with mother earth and their lifestyles are based on environmentally sustainable principles and practices. Without exploiting and destroying their children’s future … In the video we just watched Kofi Annan summed it all up in one sentence when he said……

‘Historically and sadly for far to long, the hopes and aspirations of indigenous peoples have been ignored, their lands have been taken, their languages and customs suppressed, their wisdom and traditional knowledge overlooked and their sustainable ways of developing natural resources dismissed.’ But these issues are not just a dark chapter in the past … amidst today’s civilization and development these same issues remain a harsh reality for many indigenous peoples around the world who continue to be excluded from the decision making process….. Projects that exploit their lands, natural resources and cultures are often not done with their consent. Many of them are still forcibly removed from their ancestral territories, are still subjected to the worst forms of discrimination and human rights abuse and therefore continuously suffer from extreme and chronic poverty.

It is embarrassing to see how little we have learned from our past. An issue very close to my heart is that of the indigenous peoples in my beloved country Peru. During my recent visit to the highlands and Amazon regions of Peru I spend a lot of time trying to understand some of the more pressing isses. I visited several remote Amazon communities, devastated and contaminated by multi national oil companies and their greed. I met with leaders from several communities and was invited to witness first hand how proud, self-sufficient and knowledgeable the people of these Amazon federations are.

They are self-reliant; they know how to work their lands and how to protect their environment most efficiently. . It occurred to me that the poor living conditions and economic hardships found in my country seem to stem more from the fact that most indigenous people interests are not represented by the state government. Their pleas to be directly involved with plans involving their homelands and future, so often go ignored, while their ancestral territories and livelihoods are wiped out – and future generations are faced with the threat of extinction. I know their plight sadly is replicated in many parts of the world. What lies ahead for the young Indigenous generations?

There are many similarities indigenous youth share in regards to our culture and our struggles. Our existence and voice needs to be reflected in elections, and statistics. We need to be recognized, Our voices need to be heard. We need dignity and self-respect to be strong and use our youthful ability towards critical thinking to be rebellious against failure and discrimination! We need solidarity, because our struggle is long and many challenges remain.

There are many young every day heroes in our indigenous communities, but their voices are seldom heard. Their dedication and work seldom recognized …and their dignity often stripped away by lack of opportunity and discrimination. I would like to draw your attention a bit to the concept of dignity as it pertains to today’s youth in the context of how indigenous peoples are represented in popular culture, popular media and cinema. It is more often than not “without dignity” They are shown as people who are barbaric, who are uneducated…this is, as you know an inaccurate, incomplete picture. And as young indigenous actress and viewer I am definitely questioning this kind of representation.

With that said, I also realize the powerful force today’s media has on my generation in this new age of information and technology. And I see real opportunity and importance in utilizing those powers responsibly. And for the positive. As a young artist I feel a strong responsibility to use my voice and take initiative to bring about positive change … it is up to my generation to make a difference. If we don’t act today, it will be too late. I am here today because I truly believe that the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues ensures that the world hears the voices of indigenous peoples.

Through the efforts of the international indigenous peoples’ movement and their dynamic partnership with the United Nations system, the struggles of the people for cultural survival, human rights, development and peace have finally been brought to the attention of the international community. And now that we have a Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples we should highlight the Global importance Indigenous Issues have to all of us as humanity …because by protecting indigenous peoples and cultures we are protecting the cultural human heritage and biodiversity of our world. The final adoption of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the General Assembly this fall is brought about by almost two decades of tireless advocacy by indigenous people representatives.

My Hope is that all of our nation’s leaders have the wisdom to see the need to come together to adopt this universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples… So that we, as human beings, re-capture the true meaning of the word evolution compassion and justice. In closing, I would like to pay tribute to the partnerships between indigenous and non-indigenous people. Without the partnerships and solidarity of our friends, it would have been even harder to get where we have arrived today. Indigenous people need solidarity and support now more than ever before. It is through our collective conscience to end widespread human rights violations and discrimination in all its forms, that we find our Identity and what it means to be truly ……

As a young person, I feel a great responsibility towards the outcome of our future here on this earth. If we don’t act today, it will be too late.