On August 21, 1996 U.S. Senator Akaka arranged a one day
consultative meeting between the United States': Department of State;
Department of Interior; the Department of Justice; and the, Indigenous
Peoples of the Pacific (Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa, CNMI came
unannounced) at the East West Center on Oahu; where they distributed a
written U.S. government position on each article of the UN Draft
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (Senator Akaka's Press
Contact: Ed Thompson (202) 224-6361)

In July and August invitations from the Fiji Government had been
received by Indigenous Peoples in all parts of the Pacific including
Hawaii. Selected participants were asked to meet in plenary session with
other member states of the Pacific and UN resource persons to plan and
initiate a regional strategy on the draft declaration. They accomplished
this during 5 long days of discussions and presentations at the Forum
Secretariat in Suva. U.S. Ambassador Don L. Gevertz attended the opening
ceremonies as well as other diplomatic persons living in Suva.

Prime Minister, Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka opened the Inaugural
Ceremonies of the "Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Workshop on the United
Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" with a
moving and progressive speech emphasizing the paramount importance of
upholding the right to Self-Determination as defined in the UN Charter
without compromise. Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka is the first Head of
State to personally extend his esteemed support to the Indigenous Peoples
of the World in regards to the Draft Declaration and their full rights
under international law.

The Hawaii Delegation's three seats were represented by the
following: Ms.Kekula P. Bray-Crawford - the Nation of Hawaii and the
International Indian Treaty Council (IITC/UN ECOSOC NGO); Ms Mililani Trask
- Ka Lahui Hawaii and Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
(UNPO/NGO); and Ms Nalani Minton - Ka Pakaukau and the Hawaii Tribunal
Komike. The plenary sessions reviewed and reaffirmed the regions positions
on: Self-Determination; Individual and Collective Rights; Land and
Resources; Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights; and, Pacific Region
Strategies.

United Nations' Resource Persons were: Professor Dame Erica Irene
A. Daes - Chair of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations
(Geneva); Dr. Miguel Alfonso Martinez - the Special Rapporteur for the U.N.
Study on Treaties, Agreements and Other Constructive Arrangements Between
Indigenous Populations and States, (Cuba); Mr. Julian Burger - U.N. Center
for Human Rights (Geneva). All three provided expert resource to the
Working Group and supportive assistance with the development of a Pacific
region strategy to take to the Commission on Human Rights Open-ended
Inter-sessional Working Group on the UN draft Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, October 21 - November 2, 1996.

Other distinguished participants/representatives were: Western
Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands who left
with the workshop committing to encourage their countries to become more
involved in the draft delcaration in support of the Indigneous Peoples of
the region. The Fiji government also showed their support and commitment
when their Foreign Minister carried a resolution from the Working Group to
the South Pacific Forum (concurrently convened in Majuro, Marshall Islands)
to invite support for the Indigenous Peoples of the region in Geneva this
next month and to share the Prime Ministers speech accompanied by a letter
from the Indigenous Delegations.

Follow-up: the Nation of Hawaii has been accredited to the CHR
inter-sessional working group since 1995 (1 out of 12 in the U.S.) and is
also a member organization of the IITC with ECOSOC Category II-Consultative
Status (Puuhonua B. Kanahele - Hawaii Board Member) and Ka Lahui Hawaii is
currently going through the accreditation processes.

Hookele Hawaii - Hawaiianavigation Co. (a WWW Internet Consultancy
and Development Co) will be developing and hosting the Internet Web Site
for the Pacific strategies as a tool for education and focus. The Web Site
will feature: histories; U.N. and Indigenous Peoples documents,
interventions; and, online discussions.

The Solicitor General of Fiji Mr.Isikeli Mataitoga, was elected as
Chair of the session and the elected Rapporteurs were: Mr.Graham Leung -
Permanent Representative to the United Nations (Fiji/NY) and Mr.Victor
Kaisiapo - Pacific Concerns Resource Center (West Papua/Fiji).

The final report of the workshop will be submitted to the
Commission on Human Rights to be distributed next month.