International Indian Treaty Council

About me:

The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) is an organization of Indigenous Peoples from North, Central, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific working for the Sovereignty and Self Determination of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition and protection of Indigenous Rights, Treaties, Traditional Cultures and Sacred Lands.


* To seek, promote and build participation of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations (UN) and its specialized agencies, as well as other international forums.
* To seek international recognition for Treaties and Agreements between Indigenous Peoples and Nation-States.
* To support the human rights, self-determination and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples; to oppose colonialism in all its forms, and its effects upon Indigenous Peoples.
* To build solidarity and relationships of mutual support among Indigenous Peoples of the world.
* To disseminate information about Indigenous Peoples’ human rights issues, struggles, concerns and perspectives.
* To establish and maintain one or more organizational offices to carry out IITC’s information dissemination, networking and human rights programs.

1. International Standard setting, including:
* Implementation of an effective plan of action for the 2nd International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
* Implementation of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and adoption of a strong Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the Organization of American States.
2. Responding to threats and violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights including:
* Sovereignty, Self-Determination & Free Prior Informed Consent.
* Health & Environmental impacts of nuclear and toxic contamination, mining, drilling, dams, deforestation and climate change.
* Food Sovereignty & Subsistence Rights.
* Racism & Racial Discrimination.
* Violations of Treaty, Land & Water Rights.
* Cultural Rights, Sacred sites, Religious Freedom & Traditional Knowledge.
* Indigenous Women & Children’s rights.
* Economic Globalization & “free trade”.
* Militarism and military repression.
3. Human Rights Training, Capacity-building and Mentorship.
4. Communications, Outreach, Networking and Alliance Building.

The International Indian Treaty Council Information Office
The Redstone Building
2940 16th Street, Suite 305
San Francisco, CA 94103-3664
Phone: (415) 641-4482
Fax: (415) 641-1298
Email:
alberto@treatycouncil.org



Postal Address
456 N. Alaska Street
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 745-4482
Fax: (907) 745-4484
Administration Email: email to iitc@treatycouncil.org


The IITC was founded in 1974 at a gathering by the American Indian Movement in Standing Rock, South Dakota attended by more than 5000 representatives of 98 Indigenous Nations.

The Declaration of Continuing Independence, Standing Rock South Dakota, June 1974 (PDF)

The symbol of the sacred pipe uniting the hemisphere was chosen for the IITC by the elders to represent the common bonds of spirituality, ties to the land and respect for traditional cultures common to all Indigenous Peoples.

The IITC supports grassroots Indigenous struggles through information dissemination, networking, coalition building, technical assistance, organizing and facilitating the effective participation of traditional Peoples in local, regional, national and international forums, events and gatherings.

In 1977, the IITC became the first organization of Indigenous Peoples to be reorganized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The IITC focuses on building Indigenous Peoples’ participation in key U.N. fora such as the Commission on Human Rights, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, UNESCO and the Commission on Sustainable Development. In recent years, IITC has also participated in the International Labor Organization (ILO), U.N. World Conferences, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Archeological Congress to systematically address concerns vital to Indigenous Peoples.

The IITC submits testimony, documentation and formal complaints to these fora as well as to the U.N. Center for Human Rights and the Organization of American States (OAS), to redress grievances, increase awareness and impact the development of international standards protecting the rights and survival of Indigenous Peoples.

The IITC also focuses on dissemination of information regarding the U.N. and opportunities for involvement to grassroots Indigenous communities, and works to educate and build awareness about Indigenous struggles among non-Indigenous Peoples and organizations.


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