Interview with Abdoulahi ATTAYOUB, President of the organization "Survival Tuareg-Temoust"

Interview with Abdoulahi ATTAYOUB, President of the organization "Survival Tuareg-Temoust" http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3560 1. Could you tell us a little about the activities in your community and how you organize your work? What are some of your organization’s main objectives? Our organization "Survival Tuareg-Temoust" aims to promote the rights and interests of the Tuareg people around the world. It works to raise awareness of Tuareg culture through events (exhibitions, lectures, projections ...).Temoust also conducts advocacy work in international forums to raise awareness of the living conditions of the Tuareg people in their respective countries (Niger Mali, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso). 2. What are some

of the main issues emerging from the discussions at the 4th session of the Expert Mechanism? What do you expect to get out of it that you can take back home with you? Participation in the 4th session of the Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples allows us to express the situation of the Tuareg people. It gives us an opportunity to discuss the relationships that the Tuareg communities have with their respective States and their position relative to the policies implemented by these States. This concerns the participation of Tuareg people in decisions that affect them. It is about exercising their right to decide on their own future and on development policies appropriate to their natural and socio-cultural environment. Also, we were able to discover the experiences of other organizations around the world. Exchanges with other delegations have enriched us and allow us to have a better understanding of our methods of action to pursue our objectives in the future 3. In your opinion, what are some of the main obstacles holding back progress in the full implementation of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples? For the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to be effective in the countries concerned, States must recognize its importance and the progress it can make as a basis for better governance. 4. What do you feel the UN System could do to help ensure the implementation of the recommendations stated in the Declaration at the national level? The UN should conduct awareness raising campaigns among governments and indigenous organizations informing them about the importance of the Declaration. Seminars and training sessions should be organized in the countries concerned to benefit institutional stakeholders and indigenous communities. The UN should also follow the human rights policies of States more closely, in particular those that concern indigenous peoples. In Africa the question of peaceful coexistence between different communities is essential in that it determines, to some extent, the rule of law. It is essential that a State can play an impartial role and ensure a balance that can stabilize a country. The UN should address this issue in its discussions with Member States. Moreover, the Expert Mechanism should o perate as a diagnostic tool that would alert the UN system on often ignored issues, because until today, indigenous peoples have no appropriate frameworks to address them.