Background Release about the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York from 15 to 26 May.

For media enquiries or interviews on these issues, please contact: Oisika Chakrabarti, Department of Public Information, tel: +1-212-963-8264, e-mail: mediainfo@un.org.

For the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum, please contact: Mirian Masaquiza, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, tel: +1-917-367-6006, e-mail: IndigenousPermanentForum@un.org. Website: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/
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Meeting with over 1200 indigenous people starts Monday 15 May at the UN

A very colorful, large and diverse meeting starts at the UN next week Monday (15 May). Over 1200 indigenous people are expected from around the world. They will meet with governments and UN officials during the two weeks of the meeting and demand and discuss basic rights which they are often denied: full participation in decisions that affect them, to be
counted in the census at the country level, their women and youth prioritized, development policies to be truly oriented towards their development so that it is beneficial, access to education, adequate health services, etc.

Below is a list of people who will be available for interviews during the meeting and the media advisory with the key events and opening press release. Please note the press conference is on Monday 15, 2.30pm in Room S-226.