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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PETITION CERD









































               From 3 to 28 August the  1960 on the Granting of  competent Committee of   ment its obligations under
               United Nations Committee  Independence of Colonial   the General Assembly for   CERD. During the dialo-
              on the Elimination of  Countries and Peoples.    further examination. Such   gue before the Committee
                                                                            to
                                                                                  the
               Racial Discrimination held                      transmittal
                                                                                       IPNC recalled that Alaska
              a historically important  The IPNC petition  "Committee of 24" would     and Hawaii had been pla-
              session in Geneva. Among  contends that the prevai-  be well within the compe-  ced on the list of non-self-
              its agenda was the exami-  ling situation concerning   tence of CERD in the light   governing territories pur-
               nation of a petition by the  the right of self-determina-  of the 1970 procedure   suant to in General
               Indigenous Peoples and  tion of indigenous peoples   envisaged in CERD's   Assembly resolution 66 (I)
                                                                                  of
              Nations Coalition (IPNC)  in Alaska and Hawaii does   Statement
                                                                                       in 1946. It was further
                                                                                under
                                                                                       recalled that the Kingdom
              and the Koani Foundation  not correspond to the UN   Responsibilities
              (Hawaii). CERD is an  objectives, standards and   Article 15, which stipula-  of Hawaii had existed as a
              expert body of 18 members  procedures laid down in   tes that if the Committee   fully independent and
               from all regions of the  the UN Charter and in rele-  receives petitions, it shall   sovereign State under
              world, and its main func-  vant General Assembly   act in a way so as not to   international law, with
              tion is to monitor State  resolutions. In this  deprive a petitioner -- or   diplomatic relations and
              compliance with the  connection IPNC and  the competent bodies of        treaties with the United
               International Convention  Koani submitted to the   the United Nations - of the   States and other countries.
              on the Elimination of All  75th session of CERD (and   opportunity to have peti-  With regard to the U.S.
                        of
              Forms 		                                                                 claim to sovereignty over
                               Racial  earlier to the Human  tions duly considered.
              Discrimination.         Rights Committee) its own                        Alaska by virtue of purcha-
                                      "Shadow Reports", docu-  The IPNC petition was   se from the Russian
              Pursuant to article 15 of  menting the grave irregula-  submitted as part of the   Empire, it was pointed out
              the Convention, CERD can  rities that have characteri-  follow-up to the examina-  that the United States had
              be seized of petitions sub-  zed the United States hand-  tion of the United States   consistently denied that
              mitted by indigenous peo-  ling of indigenous matters   periodic report to CERD,   Russia had ever acquired
              ples pursuant to a procedu-  in Alaska and Hawaii. In   which in principle is sub-  governing authority over
              re based on General  particular, the petition   mitted every 5 years and   the Alaska. Thus, if the
              Assembly Resolution 1514  requested that CERD for-  outlines the measures   Russia had no sovereignty,
              (XV) of 14 December  ward the matter to the  taken by the US to imple-   the U.S. could not acquire
                 28 4 2009 Diva


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