"We are calling for genuine change. We cannot accept that minorities and indigenous peoples are the most vulnerable members of our societies and that they remain excluded from decision-making that affects their lives and the future of our countries."

Thus begins the Chiapas Declaration, adopted by consensus by the participants in the International Parliamentary Conference on Parliaments, minorities and indigenous peoples (Chiapas (Mexico), 31 October - 3 November 2010). The Declaration is the result of three days of lively debate that brought into focus the main challenges to the effective participation of minorities and indigenous people in politics.

The Declaration urges parliaments to adopt a Plan of Action to make the right to equal participation and non-discrimination a reality for minorities and indigenous peoples. It notably proposes that parliaments require government to accompany all draft legislation and the national budget with an assessment of their impact on minorities and indigenous peoples.

Participants noted the difficulty in obtaining accurate data on the state of the representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament. Gender discrimination is particularly difficult to track gender in currently available data. The Chiapas Declaration calls on the IPU to take the lead in collecting better data. The IPU was further tasked with monitoring implementation of the Declaration, and convening a follow-up meeting two years from now to discuss progress and set targets for future action.

In the week following the parliamentary conference, Canada endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada was one of four countries, along with Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., to vote against the declaration when it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2007, though Australia and New Zealand have since reversed their position.

Political momentum continued to grow when, on 12 November, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly decided to hold a World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014. That same month, a draft law intended to recognize and protect the rights of marginalized indigenous communities was introduced in the parliament of the Republic of Congo.

Parliamentary action is required to translate international commitments into practice. The Chiapas Declaration sets forth some of the guiding principles for parliaments in this regard. A handbook for parliamentarians on the UN Declaration, to be co-published by the IPU and the United Nations in 2011, will provide further support to committed parliamentarians as they push for action in their countries.

More information on the conference in Chiapas is available on the conference blog. This conference was part of the IPU-UNDP project "Promoting inclusive parliaments: The representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament".