Why is a focus on IndigenousNCDs important?
There are approximately 370 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, in over 90 countries. Although they make up 5 percent of the global population, they account for about 15 percent of the extreme poor (1). Indigenous populations experience an inequitable burden of NCDs. This is related in no small way to a range of social, cultural, political and commercial determinants of health, including but not limited to: high rates of abject poverty and inequality; high unemployment rates; low education opportunities; poor diet (due to unaffordable availability of fruits/vegetables); higher rates of infectious disease burden - especially amongst children; higher burden of life-style related NCDs amongst adults (2); racism; removal of children from families and the myriad other consequences of transgenerational trauma associated with colonisation. Indigenous peoples are experiencing a transition from traditional to transitional and modern lifestyles and with this, an increased prevalence of NCDs (3).
Historically, Indigenous peoples have not been meaningfully engaged in the global NCD discourse. In May 2018, Indigenous Working Group representatives of the World Federation of Public Health Associations held a side event at the World Health Assembly in Geneva and participated in several NCD forums. On 5 July 2018, CLAN was proud to facilitate the attendance of three Indigenous representatives to attend the UN Civil Society Hearing on NCDs in New York on 5 July 2018.
IndigenousNCDs was founded in June 2018 in response to the Draft Declaration released by the United Nations on 6 June 2018, ahead of the Third High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases scheduled to be held in New York on 27 September 2018. The Draft Declaration did not include any mention of Indigenous Peoples or Cultures, despite the inequitable burden of NCDs experienced by Indigenous Peoples. IndigenousNCDs receives Secretariat support from CLAN.
(1) http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples
(2) https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/03/The-State-of-The-Worlds-Indigenous-Peoples-
WEB.pdf p.114
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121965/
(2) https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/03/The-State-of-The-Worlds-Indigenous-Peoples-
WEB.pdf p.114
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121965/
Who are we?
The IndigenousNCDs movement is Indigenous controlled. Recognising the importance of Indigenous peoples and Non Indigenous allies working together for change, the founding Steering Committee of IndigenousNCDs is comprised of:
- Summer May Finlay (Co-Chair, Yorta Yorta, Australia)
- Kate Armstrong (Co-Chair, Non-Indigenous, Australia)
- Barry Lavallee (Metis/Saulteaux, Makwa Clan, Canada)
- Zachary Penner (Metis, Manitoba, Canada)
- Caroline Chartrand (DETAIL, Canada)
- Lorraine McLeod (DETAIL, Canada)
- Kaitlyn Hunsberger (Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona, USA)
- Nadine Clopton (Non-Indigenous Youth representative, USA)
- Emma Rawson (Maori, New Zealand)
- Adrian Te Patu (Maori, New Zealand)