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Mr. Coen Kompier from ILO said that his organisation is committed to social justice by improving working conditions for the people from all over the world without discrimination as to race, gender or social origin. ILO came into existence in 1919 and India is one of its founding members.
"Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice," he said. Kompier was addressing the participants of the 4th Post Graduate Diploma in Human Rights at Dehradun. This course is recognised by the Visva-Bharati Santiniketan and is conducted by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK).
Speaking about the rights of indigenous and tribal people, Kompier said that traditional economies are threatened by a number of factors: dispossession and loss of land rights, reduction and degradation of land available and lack of access to natural resources. Without their resource base for their traditional economies indigenous and tribal peoples' are culturally and economically vulnerable.
"ILO has long been engaged in protecting indigenous and tribal peoples' rights," he said and the ILO convention 169, "is based on respect for indigenous and tribal peoples' culture, their distinct ways of life, and their traditions and cultures."
Highlighting the merits of traditional wisdom of indigenous and tribal communities, he gave the example of Uttaranchal where communities have been effectively managing their water resources based upon their traditional wisdom. "Perhaps utilisation of the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples to manage local resources could be a better alternative to the construction of mega dams like the one constructed in Tehri," Kompier added.
India has ratified 39 out of 184 ILO conventions. Most importantly, India along with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have not yet ratified the Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. "This is a matter of great concern and concerted efforts need to be made by civil society organisations and likeminded individuals and organisations in this regard," Coen Kompier said.
In this regard he made a special mention of the tireless efforts of RLEK for lobbying for the rights of tribal and indigenous peoples. He was appreciative of the innovative education programme of RLEK for the nomadic Van Gujjar community in Uttaranchal. "RLEK has been advocating for the urgent ratification of ILO Convention 169 with the Government of India," Kompier added.
Mrs. Shirantha Rajapaksa, a committed social activist and wife of the Leader of Opposition, Sri Lanka also graced the occasion.