Statement by Prof. Yasue Nunoshiba
Special Advisor of the Government of Japan
On Item 65: The Rights of Indigenous People
Seventy-first Session of the Third Committee
Of the General Assembly of the United Nations
17 October 2016

 

 

Madam Chair,

 

          To leave no one behind, under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted last year, we need to respect the fundamental rights of all persons including indigenous people and to strengthen our efforts to promote their participation in society.

 

          In Japan, indigenous people named the Ainu live around the northern part of the Japanese Archipelago, especially on the island of Hokkaido. The Ainu people have a unique language and a distinct religion and culture. The Government of Japan and representatives of the Ainu have come together to discuss comprehensive and effective measures to address various issues, including education, the revitalization of their culture and the promotion of industrial development.

 

          In response, the Government has begun to implement various projects, for example, the establishment of a national center for the revitalization of Ainu culture named the “Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony”. This Symbolic Space is planned to have a national museum and park at its core, and to be surrounded by lakes and forests. In order to revitalize and train the successors of Ainu culture heritage, including their language and traditional crafts which are endangered, the Symbolic Space is expected to offer various programs, such as Ainu language classes and short-stay lesson programs on Ainu culture. In addition, the Symbolic Space will have a memorial hall to keep and honor the remains of Ainu people. The Government of Japan is working hard to open the Symbolic Space to the public in 2020.

 

Madam Chair,

 

          I believe that the good-faith dialogue with the Ainu people, on the revival of their culture to name one topic, contributes to achieve a society where the diversity of all people is respected and no one is discriminated. To this end, the Government of Japan will continue to engage in respectful dialogues with the Ainu people.

 

Madam Chair,

 

          Guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous People, Japan will continue to engage with the problems faced by indigenous peoples in cooperation with international society.

 

I thank you.