[PDF-youth] PDF Press Release - World Indigenous Peoples Day

[Soloveni Vitoso]

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Press Release

World Indigenous Peoples Day
9th August, 2020

As the donor agencies and regional bodies work together in a concerted effort in assisting in the awareness and mitigation of COVID-19, the resilience of the Indigenous people has been applauded.

This past week on the 9th of August, 2020, the globe celebrated International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples with the theme COVID-19 and indigenous peoples' resilience. This theme aptly throws light on the current pandemic gripping the world.

As we fight against the spread of the pandemic, it is more important than ever to safeguard indigenous peoples and their knowledge. Their territories are home to 80% of the world's biodiversity and they can teach us much about how to rebalance our relationship with nature and reduce the risk of future pandemics. Indigenous peoples are seeking their own solutions to this pandemic. They are taking action and using traditional knowledge and practices as well as preventive measures. In some cases, villages have implemented a ban on social gatherings which shows the proactive stance of indigenous people in our Pacific Island countries.
The Covid-19 pandemic presents serious threats to the lives of persons with disabilities in particular, indigenous persons with disabilities. As COVID-19 spreads across different areas of the world including our beloved Pacific, the pandemic also brought with it challenges in which many indigenous persons with disabilities already found themselves in. Persons with disabilities are three times more likely to be living in extreme poverty, making it harder for them to buy and store food, or to sustain themselves whilst they are unable to work during this pandemic.

Multiple intersecting identities may overlap intensifying existing issues which also leads to exclusion of indigenous persons with disabilities from Covid-19 response strategies.

Impacts brought about by Covid-19 on indigenous persons with disabilities include but are not limited to the lack of accessible communication and information in accessible formats using the various mother tongues, access to personal assistance and medical care, economic impacts, racial discrimination and the ever increase in domestic violence amongst many other contributing factors.
To this end, the Pacific Disability Forum urges all Pacific government stakeholders undertake a partnership with civil society organizations and agencies in ensuring that:


  *   All Covid-19 communication needs to be available in accessible formats using indigenous languages with the inclusion of sign language.
  *   The translations of complex words such as social distancing and quarantine need to be culturally defined so that indigenous peoples including indigenous persons with disabilities in the Pacific are able to comprehend. Indigenous peoples of the Pacific are culturally oriented and socializing is part of the everyday living in the community.
  *   Communication aiming at persons with disabilities should be consulted with and developed by organizations of persons with disabilities
As the famous Chief Oren Lyon once said, "Although we travel in different boats, you in your boat and we in our canoe, we share the same river of life!"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Soloveni Vitoso
Interim Information Technology (IT) Officer

Pacific Disability Forum
Ground Floor | Kadavu House
Victoria Parade | Suva
Fiji

Phone: (+679) 773 0200 |  (+679) 331 2008
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