Ana Larissa Albuquerque
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - A meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss the problems of indigenous peoples and possible solutions got underway today (21) at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, and will run through Saturday (25).

This is the first time Brazil is hosting this meeting, where topics such as collective rights, territorial rights, and the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination will be discussed. Around 40 delegations of Indians from Brazil and the rest of the Americas and representative of the 34 OAS member States are taking part in the encounter.

The purpose of the debates is to draft an American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a consensus between representatives of indigenous populations of the Americas and the OAS member nations.

The technical committee of the indigenous peoples informed that the agenda includes such themes as the right to self-determination, to lands, to territories, and to natural resources; rights over natural resources; the right to self-identification; the right to compensation; and collective rights.

Translation: David Silberstein