Okama Brook (She/Her)’s Post

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, José Francisco Calí Tzay, extends an invitation to participate in the Virtual Consultation regarding Mobile Indigenous Peoples. This event, scheduled for March 19-20, 2024, aims to contribute to his annual report to the General Assembly on the situation of Mobile Peoples, set to be presented in October 2024 during its 79th session. For registration and more information, please visit https://lnkd.in/dsDKy85E Open discussion with participants: 1) identity and recognition of mobile Indigenous Peoples. 2) current barriers and challenges facing mobile Indigenous Peoples. 3) best practices led by Indigenous Peoples, States and international organizations in supporting mobile Indigenous Peoples.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, José Francisco Calí Tzay, extends an invitation to participate in the Virtual Consultation regarding Mobile Indigenous Peoples. This event, scheduled for March 19-20, 2024, aims to contribute to his annual report to the General Assembly on the situation of Mobile Peoples, set to be presented in October 2024 during its 79th session. For registration and more information, please visit https://lnkd.in/dsDKy85E Open discussion with participants: 1) Identity and recognition of mobile Indigenous Peoples. 2) Current barriers and challenges facing mobile Indigenous Peoples. 3) Best practices led by Indigenous Peoples, States and international organizations in supporting mobile Indigenous Peoples.

July 27, 2024: I had the singular privilege to be chosen by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in coordination with the Asia Pacific Network for People of African Descent (APN-PAD) to be the moderator of the "2024 Subregional Consultation on the Human Rights of People of African Descent in Northeast Asia." We had over 22 highly distinguished participants from China, Japan, and Korea who engaged on their lived experiences as People of African Descent (PAD) within their countries of resident. This consultation will feed into the United Nations Secretary General's report to the United Nations General Assembly at the conclusion of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent and other high-level meetings at the UN. This was a follow-up to the first ever United Nations Asia Pacific Regional Conference on People of African Descent that we held at the UN headquarters in January 2024 in Geneva-Switzerland. Building on the themes of the International Decade, " People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice, and Development. Respect for Human Rights should be a fundamental value of every society.

Hi folks and welcome to my Friday Reflection. This is the final in the series focused on keeping our attention between National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. We've been holding onto this time between National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week purposefully to highlight a potential for Australia to adopt this period as a 'National Ceremony' in our relationships together. Throughout the past few weeks we've been using variations of "Now More Than Ever we need to Keep The Fire Burning." During that time we've used this combination theme to look at how Little Actions impact our world, the importance for Not Burning Out, using Pivot Points to change our mindset, and on having Clear Purpose to Keep Tradition. It was leading us to this week of acknowledging this time as a time of ceremony. It is popular for First Nations to consider ceremony as something that takes weeks to perform, not something done in a matter of hours. I hope that Australians can adopt the notion of ceremony taking weeks to encompass and connect National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week every year. Ceremony keeps us committed to each other and our collective purpose. A Reconciliation to NAIDOC Week ceremony can hold our commitment to each other by maintaining platforms to keep our relationships reviewed and renewed. Ceremony keeps us focused on our contribution and our relationships. A Reconciliation to NAIDOC Week ceremony can encourage and challenge us to do more and be more to create the change and improvements. Whether we're working on advocacy or diplomacy, protest or policy, we can all us this ceremony time to keep our contributions focused. Ceremony keeps the cosmos in check by allowing us to connect with a story bigger than us and over many generations. A Reconciliation to NAIDOC Week ceremony can help us to take an eagle view on our work, our communities, and our generations. We can use the ceremony time to reflect and re-engage with the stories of this land, the peoples who have always been here, the peoples who have made significant impacts, our collective stories, and our shared futures. I encourage you to think of NAIDOC Week as the end of a ceremony, not in a way that invites us to "pack up and move along", but in a sense that the ceremony might empowered and inspired you to keep going. Now More Than Ever Keep The Fire Burning. Be encouraged and encourage others.

In this policy brief for The Charter Project Africa, I join Martin Ronceray in exploring what accreditation reform could mean for civil society engagement with the African Union (AU). We ultimately argue for a reform that: (1) emphasises effective access for civil society in its diverse forms; (2) accentuates the innovative forms of civic engagement adopted by the various AU organs within their respective mandates; and (3) translates into transparency and public ownership of the decisions and policies that emanate from AU processes.

🌍 The African Union is changing the way it engages with civil society. 📝 Currently, a process is underway to propose a new formal engagement framework - but how will this impact civil society in Africa? Read the full brief 👉 https://bit.ly/3JOvZQ3 🔍 Analysing the formal and informal mechanisms, Martin Ronceray and European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)'s Andrew Songa argue that the accreditation reforms led by the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council might fundamentally impact civil society-AU relations. #AU #civilsociety #Africa

Last Friday, 15 November, marked 140 years since the Berlin Africa Conference of 1884/5, where European powers expanded their colonial reach across the African continent. The conference formalised the "Scramble for Africa," paving the way for the colonial partition of the continent and the dispossession, oppression and exploitation of African people for decades to come. To reflect on the historic conference and its lasting impact on the present, representatives from Africa and its global diasporas gathered in Berlin this past weekend at the Dekoloniale Berlin Africa Conference. The event brought together those living in, and affected by, the enduring legacy of European colonialism to shed light on the complex relationship between former colonizers and their former colonies. It was an honor to attend the conference and co-host a workshop on strategies to advance reparatory justice for colonialism, together with colleagues from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and African Futures Lab. The Dekoloniale conference culminated in a 10-point list of demands aimed at addressing the legacies of European colonialism. Among these demands are calls for European governments to address their selective advocacy of human rights; fair and equitable trade and investment regimes between Africa and Europe; an end to the EU's externalization of its borders on African soil; and reparatory justice for colonialism, including the restitution of stolen land and cultural property. 📢 To learn more about the Dekoloniale conference and the demands for Europe to reckon with its colonial past, read our joint press statement below: https://lnkd.in/dvWbcSYy

📍🗣️International Day of Peace 2024 Webinar 📢Calling all peace advocates and lovers to join the conversation!

For governance to evolve and policies to be future proof, there is no other way, young voices must be at the table. Youth from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe are directly shaping EU policy through the Youth Sounding Boards. Our goals were ambitious: To engage young people by giving them a voice in policy and decision making. To empower them with the resources they need to lead sustainable change. H. E. Jutta Urpilainen, European Union Commissioner for International Partnership!!

The draft South African National Peace Charter was introduced to the public by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and the Human Rights Institute of South Africa, at the Human Rights Festival hosted at the Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, drawing attention to the importance of human rights, Women, Peace and Security as well as peace for all in the country. The genesis of the charter can be traced back to the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) 2020 – 2025. This comprehensive framework underscores the imperative for a Peace Charter in South Africa. With key government and stakeholder input, the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security laid the groundwork for collaborative efforts towards achieving lasting peace in the nation. By actively engaging with the charter, individuals are encouraged to pledge their commitment to making South Africa a more peaceful society. The official launch of the Peace Charter will soon take place at a date to be announced.