Preface

Over the past five years the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests has been working through the Gender Work Group to develop an Alliance-wide policy on gender accepted by all member organizations. In the 4th International Conference of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, held in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2004 the 'Balanced Relationship' Policy was reviewed and accepted by the member organizations.

The following policy represents the collective statement of principle and intent of the members of the International Alliance to promote and integrate gender sensitivity and gender awareness into all levels and aspects of the work of the Alliance. Since the adoption of the policy the newly-named 'Balanced Relationship' Work Group has been working to promote this policy and to implement supportive activities throughout the nine geographical regions of the Alliance to increase awareness and interest in the policy and its objectives.

POLICY

"A man is a man. A man cannot be a woman.
A woman is a woman. A woman cannot be a man."

Preamble

We are all the creation of Mother Nature. Every creation is important and has significant roles and responsibilities to fulfill. We are created by nature bestowing us with different roles and responsibilities to enable us to live on our mother earth with appreciation, respect, dignity and humility. There should be no question of who is inferior and who is superior, just as there could not be a comparison between the stars, the moon, the sun and the earth so there should be no comparison between men and women. We cannot expect the sun to stop giving light and heat and we cannot expect the moon to act like the sun.

Our relation with the universe, with our mother-nature and all living and non-living things is interconnected, interrelated and interdependent, and so is the relationship between men and women, between feminine qualities and masculine qualities. The roles and responsibilities of men and women are both to be respected, are compatible and complementary, maintaining respectful relationships without comparison or discrimination.

I. The International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests
Indigenous Peoples can be proud of what the International Alliance has been able to achieve in the 12 years of its' existence. The political voices of the Indigenous Peoples are now being heard both nationally and internationally, reflected in the establishment of the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues with in the UN as well as many other international and national level successes.

The International Alliance represents diverse indigenous peoples and their cultures and issues. There are indigenous communities where the status of women is very low and the gap between the men and women is widened by various practices and traditions. There are indigenous communities who are organised in a matrilineal way and represent very different relationships between men and women. In the Khasi community of India inheritance is passed on in the female line and the same applies to genealogy in other indigenous peoples, cultures and communities. But modern circumstances, created through the impact of colonization, de-colonization and the globalisation of minds and lands, the relationship between indigenous men and women, their positions and statuses in society, are heavily impacted. Increasingly the biological difference of being women and their roles and responsibilities are interpreted and are declared as weak, worthless and useless, reflecting imported values and social stress. Society is becoming more and more male-dominated, creating wider gaps and differences and unbalancing the relationship between men and women and between masculine qualities and feminine qualities.

II. Why the Policy?

The International Alliance recognizes that each indigenous people have their own definite roles and responsibilities for men and women. The International Alliance, as a global network of Indigenous Peoples organisations, respects and represents an enormous variety of cultural values and beliefs about the nature of the roles and responsibilities of men and women, and strongly upholds the continuation of such diversity.

The International Alliance has always taken part in the worldwide debate for the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, a struggle which necessarily involves and impacts on women. The International Alliance recognises and respects the contribution of indigenous women in safeguarding indigenous civilisations, cultures, diversities, languages and social values, and their roles in advocacy and struggles to protect our peoples and cultures. The International Alliance actively resolves to continue the promotion and protection of indigenous values, traditions and cultures that promote balanced and respectful relationships between men and women.

III. Guiding principles of the policy

IV. Objectives of the Policy:

The Policy will therefore:

•  Address various forms of interaction between men and women in the work of the Alliance;

•  Assess the different forms of interaction at all levels of work;

•  Address the different approaches previously and currently used;

•  Work to eliminate imbalances identified; and

•  Mainstream the balanced relationship by:

•  Ensuring that men and women enjoy basic rights equally;

•  Respecting the contribution of indigenous women and recognising that women are the preservers, custodians, guardians and protectors of culture and tradition;

•  Revitalising indigenous peoples' values, traditions and customs that promote balanced relationships;

•  Developing policies for the effective participation of women in all decision-making processes at all levels;

•  Raising awareness within the Alliance networks starting from early childhood and from the family;

•  Strengthening the existing indigenous women networks and organisations;

•  Implementing policies and programmes of action at all levels to promote balanced and mutually beneficial relationships.

V. Policies

1. Reform

2. Sensitisation

3. Indigenous Women in Administration

4. Ensuring equalities

5. Specific Projects

6. Capacity Building

7. Regular monitoring and evaluation mechanism and procedures

VI. Strategies:

Mainstreaming will be the primary strategy for facilitating balanced relationships through the following methodology.

1. Formation of a Committee

A Committee comprised of a balanced number of women and men should be formed. The Committee could be constituted of members of the International Coordinating Committee or members of the Regional Coordination Committee, and will be mandated as follows:

2. Assessment and research

Assessment and research will be conducted within:

3. Regional Workshops on Balancing Relationships

Conduct regional workshops in all the regions of the International Alliance.

4. Study and research

Carry out study and research on indigenous peoples' values, customs, traditions and practices that promote balance relationships between men and women,

5. Conduct training and workshops

Conduct and organise workshops and trainings to promote Balance Relationships at all levels of the organisational structure.

6. Implementation of the Policy

All member organisations will adopt the Policy of Balanced Relationships, reflecting and supplementing their own situations and contexts, and implementing it within a two to three year time frame,

7. Formulation of action plan

Action Plans, to implement the Policy, which take into consideration analysis carried out at all levels, will be developed by:

•  Each member organisation of the Alliance

•  Each Regional Secretariat

•  Each Focal Point

•  The ITS

8. Criteria for membership

The Policy of Balanced Relationship will be one of the criteria to become a new member of the International Alliance

9. Sensitisation of the donor organization

Donor Organisations that advocate for gender sensitivity should be informed of the Balanced Relationship Policy

10. Logo of the International Alliance

Adding of a woman into the logo of the Alliance.