Speeches & Testimony

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support for my Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act to ensure that our foreign affairs fully encompass and incorporate the independent interconnectedness of our world's indigenous peoples.

The estimated 476 million indigenous peoples spread across all parts of our world are bound together by a common heritage, common wisdom and common challenges that transcend often artificial lines of national sovereignty. To recognize their international status and leverage their collective knowledge, in 2007 the international community adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

This common history, knowledge and approach, in such key areas as preservation of unique cultures, sustainable use of our natural resources, and advancement of health care, offers all of us not only a wealth of expertise on their own challenges but on those we all face. To better coordinate focus on indigenous peoples worldwide and engage internationally on issues important to indigenous peoples, my Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act would create an Office for Indigenous Affairs at the Department of State responsible for coordinating all efforts of the federal government regarding diplomacy and engagements with international indigenous peoples. The office would be headed by a Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The coordinator will be tasked with establishing a comprehensive international strategy for promoting diplomacy and engagement with indigenous peoples.

The strategy will be developed in coordination with various federal departments and agencies as well as an Advisory Commission on Indigenous Peoples established by the bill. The Commission will consist of members appointed by the Secretary of State, President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, as well as representatives from the National Congress of American Indians, Alaska Federation of Natives and Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the representative entities for the largest groups of our country's own indigenous peoples. This will help more directly link our Nation's indigenous peoples with efforts to build relationship with those in other countries.

This bill would also require our Foreign Service Officers to be trained on the history and culture of indigenous communities that reside near their posts of assignment. Our Foreign Service Officers will often be the primary American officials for interaction with these communities, and should be well versed in specific indigenous peoples' issues.

We must not step away from the international stage; rather we should lead efforts for meaningful engagement where and however we can. This includes strengthening our relationships and partnerships with international indigenous peoples to more fully include their special perspective and connectedness in an inextricably interlinked world.

I strongly urge my colleagues to join with me in passing and enacting the Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act.