CIP minister, NZCIO head jointly mark International Indigenous Peoples’ Day

2021/08/11

Icyang Parod, minister of the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples, and Stephanie Lee of New Zealand gave a joint address in celebration of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Aug. 9, spotlighting the like-minded partners’ commitment to fostering ties between their respective indigenous communities.
 
According to the minister, Taiwan’s original inhabitants and the Maori of New Zealand are all part of the Austronesian family. On the basis of this shared heritage, the two countries have strengthened bilateral cooperation and exchanges in areas spanning culture, education, film, language, media, tourism and trade, he said.
 
Echoing his remarks, Lee, interim director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, said the indigenous communities of Taiwan and New Zealand share deep cultural, genealogical and linguistic connections. The NZCIO will continue working closely with the CIP on key issues such as language revitalization while addressing mutual challenges together, she added.
 
The address was made via prerecorded video posted to the agencies’ social media accounts.
 
Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples aims to raise awareness of native groups’ rights. The date was chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.
 
Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Taiwan is observed Aug. 1 in honor of a constitutional amendment passed in 1994 recognizing the status of indigenous peoples as the country’s original inhabitants. According to the CIP, great strides have been made in promoting such groups’ rights following the passage of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law in 2005 and President Tsai Ing-wen’s apology on behalf of the government to the country’s indigenous communities in 2016.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)