Sacred plants and implementation of the right to free, prior and informed consultation of Indigenous peoples

CC flickr Magda & Maciej

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Sacred plants and implementation of the right to free, prior and informed consultation of Indigenous peoples

9 July 2018

In June and July of 2018, ICEERS and Maloca International are participating in the Human Rights Council sessions and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva.

It is thanks to the duty States have to inquire as to whether traditional medicine and the use of psychoactive plants such as iboga, ayahuasca or coca leaf, among others, that they may gain broader protection under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

From June 18 through July 6, the 38th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is being held in Geneva, followed by the 11th edition of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from July 9-13. The agenda includes an interactive dialogue on the promotion and protection of all human rights – civil, political, economic, social, cultural and the right to development. We will participate in this dialogue in order to highlight the importance of consulting indigenous peoples on any development or extractive project that may have a negative impact on their ancestral lands.

ICEERS submitted an intervention that speaks to the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain, control, protect and develop their traditional cultural expressions, their own ancestral medicines and to maintain their health practices (including the preservation of their medicinal plants).