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KOTA KINABALU:
Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) together with human rights group SUARAM and Asia Indigenous Peopls Pact (AIPP), today called for the federal government to immediately undertake necessary policy reforms to recognize and protect the land and forest rights of indigenous people as its contribution to solutions towards climate change.
JOAS, which represents 87 local community organizatons across Malaysia, said the federal government should use protections contained in Artcle 161 (a)(5) of the Federal Consttuton as the basis to recognize customary land rights.
Making the call in conjunction with International Day of Forests today, JOAS president Thomas Jalong said: “Forests are integral to the survival and source of livelihoods and culture of indigenous peoples. They are our identtes.
“On the Internatonal Day of Forests, we call for the recogniton of the land rights of indigenous peoples as key to the forest-based solutons to climate change.”
JOAS also detailed its other demands in a statement issued here.
These demands include:
• Immediately implement in partnership with indigenous peoples and other stakeholders the Commitee on World Food Security (CFS) and FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fsheries and forests in the context of natonal food security.
• Adhere to terms of procedures laid down in treates, laws, regulatons and guidelines such as in certfcaton schemes like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the Malaysian Timber Certfcaton Scheme (MTCS), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA-FLEGT), and the Business Council for Sustainability and Responsibility Malaysia (BCSRM).
• Guarantee the implementaton of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) on any climate change mitgaton acton involving forests such as the REDD+, biofuel plantatons and large dams.
• Ensure full and efectve partcipaton of indigenous peoples including indigenous women and youth in the formulaton, implementaton, monitoring and reportng of any forest-related mitgaton programmes and projects at all levels. • Recognize and promote indigenous peoples’ traditonal knowledge, traditonal occupatons and food systems including the roles and contributons of indigenous women.
• Adopt all the recommendatons in the SUHAKAM Natonal Inquiry into the Land Rights of the Orang Asal.
Meanwhile AIPP secretary-general Joan Carling said there was an “urgent” need to upscale the recogniton of the forest rights of indigenous peoples.
“Governments can do this through the demarcation and proper implementaton of laws recognizing the collectve land rights of indigenous peoples.
“Securing indigenous peoples’ customary land rights and sustainable livelihoods is necessary for the success of forest-based solutons to climate change and for sustainable development,” she said.
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