Mr. President,
We thank the delegations of Mexico and Guatemala for the presentation of draft resolution L.24 Rev.1 and the efforts to take into account the positions of all delegations.
The indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean were victims of a ruthless and inhuman colonising process which, in the case of Cuba, meant the total annihilation of this original population. In other cases, indigenous peoples were subjected to centuries of domination, deprivation of their rights, destruction of their social and political organisation, imposition of foreign cultural patterns and denial of their customs and traditions.
Cuba supports the defence, recognition and effective and full implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, whose adoption in 2007 constituted a historic victory in the struggle of these peoples for their ancestral rights.
All cultures have the right to their full realisation, just as all peoples have the right to preserve the traditional practices inherent to their identity. The cultural, historical and spiritual richness that indigenous peoples bring is undeniable. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain their own institutions, cultures and traditions, without discrimination.
Our delegation recognises and welcomes the progress made by the HRC in the participation of indigenous peoples' representatives in the dialogues with the Special Rapporteur and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
This participation, as stated in operative paragraph 25 of the draft resolution, has a unique and exceptional character, based on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and does not constitute a precedent.
For the above reasons, Cuba supports draft resolution L.24 Rev.1 and hopes that it will be adopted by consensus.
Thank you very much.