23rd Session of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Wraps Up
The 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNFPII) took place on April 15-26, 2024, in New York, NY – also known as Lenapehoking, the ancestral homelands of the Lenape People. UNPFII is a permanent advisory body to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Its primary functions are to prepare reports and make recommendations to ECOSOC on policy that will impact Indigenous Peoples and Nations. The origins of UNPFII date back to 1993, which was the UN’s International Year for the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The first UNPFII was held in 2000 during the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (1995-2004). UNFPII is the largest gathering of Indigenous leaders, activists, and policymakers on the planet. The forum has 16 members each serving three-year terms. Eight are nominated by state governments and eight by Indigenous organizations.
The Permanent Forum was created after decades of work by Indigenous Peoples, with significant leadership from the Onondaga and other Haudenosaunee Nations. The forum played a key role in the development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which was passed in 2007 after 40 years of effort. Like many UN efforts, much work remains to actualize the commitments made in the declaration.
In 2024, the theme of UNPFII was “Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-determination in the Context of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Emphasizing the Voices of Indigenous Youth.” Throughout the session, discussions focused on the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum – economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health, and human rights – with reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As it has for many years, the American Indian Law Alliance, an NGO accountable to the Onondaga Nation leadership was actively involved in planning events and organizing related to UNFPII.
Articles about the 2024 UNPFII:
High Country News guide to the 2024 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus Statement
Future generations protect UNDRIPa
UN puts spotlight on attacks against Indigenous land defenders
United Nations delegates take aim at Canadian government, mining companies
Leonard Peltier advocates seeking United Nations help
Upcoming Events:
Native Authors Read Aloud
Sunday, April 28 @ 2pm
Betts Branch Library, 4862 South Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13205 Get Directions
Oñgwaga.ä’ Writer’s Workshop and Betts Library are excited to welcome two award-winning Native Authors for a special Read Aloud Event. Laurel Goodluck is the author of the children’s books Rock Your Mocs and Too Much: My Great Big Native Family. Marcie Rendon is the author of the Cash Blackbear Series, including the award-winning Murder on the Red River and the mind behind Raving Native Theater.
White Corn Sorting Bee
Saturday, May 11, 10:30 am
Ganondagan White Corn Project (Farmhouse) 7191 Co Rd 41, Victor, NY 14564
Our White Corn braids are ready to be shelled and sorted so we can begin processing the corn. We need your help to do this important work.
Shelling and sorting corn are important steps in the White Corn process. Once corn braids are dried, the corn kernels are shelled from the cob. The kernels are then washed, dehydrated, and sorted to determine if they will be left whole, ground, or roasted to become one of our delicious White Corn products – Hulled, White Corn Flour, Roasted Corn Flour.
We ask that all volunteers be age 12 and up. Registration required.
Birding at Ganondagan
Saturday, June, 8 am
Ganondagan, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564.
Join birding leaders Amy Kahn & Neil Reilly for a birding hike at Ganondagan! This trip has generated large species lists due to the many habitat types traveled through. Starting from the parking lot to the Longhouse, the group will walk wide mowed or packed dirt trails through the Meadowlark field and then head down through woods, shrub land, and wetland to an overlook in grassland. The round trip is 1.5 miles and includes some hills. After reaching the overlook, those who wish can continue for another 2 miles on the narrower Seneca Trail through field and woods, across County Route 41, and along a wooded stream valley to the Bobolink field. Trails taken may be adjusted but length of trip and terrain will stay similar. Restroom facilities are available at the Seneca Art & Culture Center at the end of the trip.
Witness to Injustice Experiential Workshop
Saturday, June 1, 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13202
Witness to Injustice is a unique three-hour interactive group educational experience. It uses an experiential, participatory model to share the disturbing history of what Indigenous Peoples have experienced through colonization with a focus on the experience of the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee Peoples. The program seeks to foster truth, understanding and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the part of the world now known as the United States; especially in the territory stewarded by people of the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee peoples. The program is facilitated by Onondaga Nation citizens and non-Indigenous allies. Witness to Injustice is a project of Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation / Syracuse Peace Council. The program is free and open to the public. Look for sign up information in coming months.
Indigenous Music & Arts Festival
Saturday & Sunday, July 27-28 @ 10 AM – 5 PM
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564.
Ganondagan’s annual Indigenous Music & Arts festival showcases Haudenosaunee and Indigenous cultures through dance, music, storytelling, traditional craft demonstrations, an Indigenous Arts Market, children’s activities, Indigenous food, and more.
This year welcomes Māori artists and performers. The event will feature artist demonstrations, dance performances and collaborative opportunities with Haudenosaunee artists, performers, and culture bearers.
During the festival weekend, Māori artists and performers will provide artist demonstrations, traditional dance, and contemporary performances. Artists will also be selling their work.
This year’s festival features Native folk and blues rocker, Keith Secola (Anishinabe) & his Wild Band of Indians, hoop dance champions and performers, the Sinquah Family Dance Troupe (Hopi/Tewa/Choctaw), Bill Crouse (Seneca) and Haudenosaunee social dancers, Alleghany River Indian Dancers, and storytellers Ronnie Reitter (Seneca, Wolf Clan) & Perry Ground (Onondaga, Turtle Clan).
Monthly Events:
NOON Steering Committee Open Meeting. Please contact Lee Cridland, Peace Council Staff, for more info.
Special Section on Earth Day and Indigenous Peoples:
The Power of Black and Indigenous Voices This Earth Day and Beyond
Every day is Earth Day: Indigenous Peoples and their knowledges for planetary health
Indigenous principles inspire Rights of Nature movement to combat environmental threats
Indigenous News:
Feds revoke major permit for STAMP industrial park
Eclipses have special ties to Indigenous peoples
Justice Department steps into Enbridge Line 5 disputeJ
Eliminating blood quantum requirements for US-Canada crossing
Eleven more students will go home from Carlisle
Places to Visit:
Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center, 6680 Onondaga Lake Pkwy. Liverpool, NY 13088. Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee Cultural Center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York. Now open from 10am-4pm Wednesday-Friday, and 11am-4pm on Saturday.
Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community, 4934 State Highway 5. Fonda, NY.
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564. Bark Longhouse open May-October.
Seneca Iroquois National Museum, 82 W Hetzel St. Salamanca, NY 14779.
Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road. Howes Cave, NY 12092.
About Us:
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a grassroots organization of Central New Yorkers which recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the traditional government of the Onondaga Nation. A program of the Syracuse Peace Council, NOON supports the right of Indigenous Peoples to reclaim land, and advocates for fair settlement of any claims which are filed. We are always looking for more folks to join our work in Central New York. Learn more here.
NOON works on the territory of the Onondaga Nation,
Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
We express our deep gratitude to the Onondaga Nation for caring for these lands, waters, and all our fellow beings since time immemorial.
We offer heartfelt apologies for the terrible violence that colonizers have carried out against the Onondaga People and Nation, including theft of land and attempted genocide. We are thankful for their perseverance and survival. We commit ourselves to working in solidarity with the Onondaga Nation to protect their sovereignty and create a shared, sustainable future for all life.
