The Kingdom of Denmark’s statements for the HRC Intersessional on Indigenous Peoples participation

First Intersessional meeting on concrete ways to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the work of the Human Rights Council

Statement by the Kingdom of Denmark
18 July 2024

I would like to thank Australia and Binota Moy Dhamai for co-facilitating this intersessional meeting. 
Indigenous Peoples of the world continue to face significant challenges to their participation within the UN system, which not only hinders their ability to advocate for their rights but also limits the effectiveness of the UN in addressing global issues. 
Let me reiterate the Kingdom of Denmark’s long-held position that a new status, separate from non-governmental organisations as well as the roster participation accorded to Indigenous Peoples’ organisations for the sessions of EMRIP and the Permanent Forum, must be developed to ensure that Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions can participate at the UN, including the Human Rights Council.
In our view, enhanced participation consists of two fundamental pillars – one is the recognition of the legitimate representatives and institutions of Indigenous Peoples. The other is having access to and participation in all bodies and processes at the UN affecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In regards to the second pillar, Indigenous Peoples’ participation has proven good results. For us, the practical working modalities applied in the open-ended working group on the draft of the UN declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples serves as a good example of how full, effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples can lead to a successful outcome. Likewise, the preparations for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2024 including its recognition of the Alta Outcome Document of the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference is something that we hold in high regard. 
We are confident that Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions will bring knowledge, expertise and worldviews that will add legitimacy and sustainability to the decisions adopted by the UN. We must remember that it is not an option but an obligation under UNDRIP. 
Thank you. 

First Intersessional meeting on concrete ways to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the work of the Human Rights Council

Session 3 – accreditation criteria 
Statement by the Kingdom of Denmark
18-19 July 2024

Thank you chair,
The Kingdom of Denmark believes that the principles for accreditation should be objective, consistent, transparent, based on the rights of self-identification and self-determination. At the same time, the criteria must be flexible to account for the diverse forms of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions. 
Indigenous Peoples have the right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their customs and traditions. Furthermore, they have the right to choose their own representatives in accordance with their own procedures as well as to maintain and develop their own decision-making bodies.
This means that accreditation under the new status should be granted to Indigenous Peoples’ institutions in the understanding that these represent Indigenous Peoples’ own decision-making bodies. Thus, accreditation criteria should serve to ascertain such institutions. In addition, we should not leave out the possibility that one Indigenous People form an institution with one or more neighbouring Indigenous People/Peoples to be accredited under the new status. From the Arctic, we have the experience of the Arctic Council’s Permanent Participant status, where Permanent Participant status can be accorded to one single Indigenous People resident in more than one Member State or more than one Indigenous Peoples resident in one Member state. 
We believe that the full and the very difficult operationalisation of the enhanced participation can only be successful if taken in steps and that the new accreditation status should not undermine or abolish the roster participation of Indigenous Peoples’ organisations for the sessions of EMRIP and Permanent Forum. 
We believe that using and building on the existing expertise from EMRIP in this regard could be an efficient and relevant way forward for the HRC on this topic in general.
Thank you.

Session 4 – accreditation mechanism
Statement by the Kingdom of Denmark
19 July 2024

Thank you chair,
Let me start by reiterating that for the establishment of a new status for Indigenous Peoples’ enhanced participation in the UN to be successful, we believe it is important that we approach this matter incrementally.
Ideally and once the enhanced participation status is fully developed and established, we believe that an accreditation mechanism should consist of expert members from the seven sociocultural regions of Indigenous Peoples selected by the holders of the enhanced participation status from these regions. Reciprocal recognition from Indigenous Peoples could also play an important role in the mechanism. In addition, there should be one UN systemwide accreditation mechanism.
However, in the meanwhile a provisory accreditation mechanism could be established. In this regard, we are open for the possibility of according either the EMRIP or the Permanent Forum of this responsibility on a temporary basis and provided that additional meeting days are allocated for the purpose of serving as a temporary accreditation mechanism. 
Finally, it would also be important that the corresponding secretariat either at the OHCHR or UNDESA be adequately resourced.  
Thank you.