Atuagagdliutit - 16.12.1993, Blaðsíða 6

6
ICC
DECEMBER 1993
Amendment and reauthorization
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
The amendment and reaut-
horization process of the
Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA) of the USA is
on and ICC has submitted a
proposal to be included in
the hearings. It is the first
time that the ICC has reque-
sted to the Marine Mammal
Commission to include nati-
ve groups outside the USA
to testify to the Commission
on the adverse impact of the
MMPA in regards to their
economic and cultural inter-
est in marine mammals.
Inuit Tusaataat has spo-
ken with the former mem-
ber of the Marine Mammal
Commission, the President
of the ICC, Caleb Pungo-
wiyi, and the following is the
excerpts from the interview
with Mr. Pungowiyi.
Inuit Tusaataat: Could
you explain the composition
Just over a year ago,
high-level representatives
from the Canadian govem-
ment, the International In-
stitute for Sustainable De-
velopment, the Internatio-
nal Development Research
Centre and grass-roots orga-
nizations from across Cana-
da came toge ther to talk
about how Canada could
best respond to the commit-
ment it had made at the Rio
Earth Summit in July 1992.
The commitment Canada
and most other nations of
the World made at Rio was
to develop a national sustai-
nable development strategy.
Agenda 21, which was the
Earth Summit’s »blue-
print« for action on environ-
mental and development is-
sues urged that:
This strategy should build
upon and harmonize the va-
rious sectoral, economic, so-
cial, and environmental po-
licies and plans that are ope-
rating in the country...Its
goals should be to ensure so-
cially responsible economic
development while protec-
ting the resource base and
the environment for future
generations. It should be de-
veloped through the widest
possible participation. It
should be based on a tho-
rough assessment of the
current situation and initia-
tives.
The Canadian response
started in November 1992
and was entitled »Projet de
Societe: Planning For A Su-
stainable Future«, and in-
volved dialogue among ma-
ny stakeholders of the Cana-
dian economy and environ-
ment. To ensure that Ipuit
and Arctic concerns were
not left out of a national
of the Marine Mammal
Commission and how the
members to the Commis-
sion are appointed?
Caleb Pungowiyi: First of
all, 3 members of the Marine
Mammal Commission and
the Scientific Advisory Com-
mittee with 9 members are
appointed by the President
of the USA upon a recom-
mendation by a Committee
composed of 3 persons, the
president of the Smithsoni-
an Institute, chairman of
the National Science Foun-
dation and National Acade-
my of Sciences. The selec-
tion of the scientific advisors
is based on their knowledge
on marine mammals. The
members of the Marine
Mammal Commission serve
for 3 years. The mandate of
the Commission is to submit
annual reports on the status
strategy, the Inuit Circum-
polar Conference has parti-
cipated actively in the many
workshops, stakeholders
meetings and vision groups.
The on-going work or
»multi-stakeholder pro-
cess«, as it has come to be
known, includes industria-
lists, labour unions, Indige-
nous peoples, women’s
groups and many special-in-
terest organizations. Becau-
se of the vast array of parti-
cipants representing the
many peoples and regions of
a nation as vast as Canada,
it has required constant ef-
fort and vigilance by ICC to
ensure that Inuit and nort-
hern interests are not for-
gotten in the building of a
Canadian strategy.
Inuit in Canada are
30,000 strong but inhabit a
region that is larger than
that where 26 million other
Canadians live. ICC has tri-
ed, over this year-long dialo-
gue and planning, to remind
the participants that the
Inuit homeland is a vital
component of the country
and is indeed more than just
northern Canada, extending
from Russia to Alaska to Ca-
nada to Greenland.
ICC has also brought to
the table the many initiati-
ves it has undertaken such
as the Principles and Ele-
ments for a Comprehensive
Arctic Policy, the Inuit Re-
gional Conservation Strate-
gy and the extensive work it
has carried out within the
Arctic Environmental Pro-
tection Strategy.
ICC has offered to share
with the other multi-stake-
holders Inuit history and
Inuit approaches to sustai-
nable development in a hope
that some of the ways of
of various species of marine
mammals subject to restric-
tions and/or prohibitions
under the provisions of the
MMPA. Further, the Com-
mission make recommenda-
tions on the amendment of
the MMPA and recom-
mends issuance of permits
for scientific studies on dif-
ferent species of marine
mammals.
Inuit Tusaataat: How
long is the period of reaut-
horization of the MMPA?
Caleb Pungowiyi: Now,
the length of the reauthori-
zation of the Act is decided
by the Congress, and the
last reauthorization of it
was issued in 1988 and was
given to last until at latest
September 1993. So, the
amendment and the reaut-
horization process of the Act
is now on, and the Congress
thousands of years of living
in a sustainable manner
over the whole of the cir-
cumpolar region may be
useful to Southern Canadi-
ans. As Eben Hopson said in
1977 when ICC was foun-
ded:
»Our language contains the
memory of four thousand
years of human survival
through conservation and
good management of our
Arctic wealth.« (Editors ita-
lics).
ICC was also at the table
to remind the other Canadi-
ans that the north, and
Inuit in particular, should
be invited to key decision-
making forums if and when
the stakeholder process be-
comes government policy.
Sustainable development,
as defined in the Brundt-
land Commission report is
»...development that meets
the needs of the present wit-
hout compromising the abi-
lity of future generations to
meet their own needs.«
It is hoped by ICC (Cana-
da) that this will indeed be
true for Inuit across Canada
and the circumpolar north
as a whole. Perhaps Cana-
da’s efforts in responding to
its commitment made at the
Earth Summit will help faci-
litate this....
(Ed.: ICC Greenland re-
cently submitted a presenta-
tion of a case study from
Greenland to the »Projet de
Societe: Planning for a Su-
stainable Development«,
outlining the wildlife mana-
gement procedures in Gre-
enland and efforts to include
local knowledge of the re-
sources into research and
management.)
began its deliberations to
that effect since February
1993. In April this year, so-
me interest groups such as
environmental groups, com-
mercial fishermen and nati-
ve groups were invited to
the hearings. At that time,
the native groups insisted
not to make any amend-
ments to the native exemp-
tions of the Act. But, based
on the interaction of com-
mercial fisheries in regards
to the incidental takes of
marine mammal species, the
process of amending and re-
authorizing the Act has now
been delayed. And at this ti-
me, the proposal is to begin
the public hearings again so-
metimes in January or Fe-
bruary 1994. I must also
mention that the Executive
Council of the ICC at its last
meeting in September in
Nuuk, decided to submit a
proposal to include native
groups into the hearings, so
that we could make the
Congress aware of the ad-
verse impacts of the Act on
native groups outside the
USA.
Greenlandic students in
Denmark, the Sami Council,
two sami youth organiza-
tions from Sweden and Fin-
land named Suoma Såmi
Nuorat and Såminourra,
and the Danish National
Group of International
Work Group for Indigenous
Affairs (IWGIA) have joint
forces to prepare a circum-
polar youth conference in
Denmark from April 6 to 10,
1994.
The conference will focus
on the environment, and
address questions and con-
cerns in relation to Resour-
ces, Rights and Culture as
seen from an environmental
perspective. Experienced
cide on whom to invite to the
hearings?
Caleb Pungowiyi: The
Congressional Committee
invites different interest
groups such as environmen-
tal organizations, commer-
cial fishermen, native
groups etc. to testify. So, it is
the Congress Committee
with 10-12 members who
conducts the hearings of the
testimonies from the va-
rious interest groups. Howe-
ver, there is also another
Committee, namely, the Se-
nate Committee composing
of 7 members who also con-
ducts the hearings. So, in
faet, there are two bodies,
the Congress and the Sena-
te, who will in the end make
the final decisions on the
length of the reauthoriza-
tion, the amendments to the
Act etc.
Inuit Tusaataat: What is
the outlook to include repre-
sentatives from the ICC in
the hearings?
As mentioned earlier, ICC
has submitted a proposal to
include representatives
from Greenland, Canada,
Alaska and Chukotka. I
politicians from the Arctic
will start the days and the-
mes with a presentation to
be followed by workshops
and plenum discussions.
The aim of the conference
is to create a forum for the
Arctic youth in which to dis-
cuss and share their views
on current circumpolar en-
vironmental cooperation as
well as their aspirations for
the future. Currently, the
arctic States cooperate
through the Arctic Environ-
mental Protection Strategy
and programmes and the In-
digenous Peoples additio-
nally through international
organizations and conferen-
ces, such as the Inuit Cir-
think that it is useful for the
Congress to understand
that the Act, in faet has an
adverse impact on the eco-
nomies among the inuit be-
yond the horders of the
USA. It is therefore import-
ant to us to make presenta-
tions to the hearings and
make it clear that we inuit
have vital economic and cul-
tural interest and to have
our concerns incorporated
in that process. Now, the
content of our proposal from
the ICC is to amend the Act,
so that we can get an amend-
ment incorporated in the
Act which would accept tra-
ditional trade, barter and sa-
le of products made from
marine mammals. But, I
must stress the faet that our
proposed amendments are
not included in the Senate’s
report. On the other hånd,
there is no submittance
from the House as of yet in
that regard. But, if the Hou-
se approves our proposed
amendments, then the situ-
ation will in faet be advanta-
geous in regards to our in-
tentions and the most pro-
bable result of that could ve-
ry well be that the Joint
Committee will draft a com-
promise biil.
Inuit Tusaataat: What is
your assurance that ICC
will be included to the hea-
rings?
Caleb Pungowiyi: There is
no clear assurance as of yet,
but, we have made it clear to
Rod Moore, who is the se-
nior staff on House, Mer-
chant, Marine and Fisheries
Committee, that ICC would
like to be included in the he-
arings in order to make the
Congress understand that
other native groups outside
the USA are negatively af-
feeted by the Act as it is to-
day. Further, we intend to
set up a meeting with our
Senator Frank Markowski
and Congressman Don
Young from Alaska so that
they can push for ICC
amendment proposal.
Inuit Tusaataat: Thank
you and have a happy holi-
day and good luck with your
plans.
cumpolar Conference and
the Arctic Leaders Summit.
The organizers sponsor
the participation of 5 youth
representatives from each of
the following countries: Si-
beria, Canada, Alaska, Gre-
enland and the Sami territo-
ries of Finland, Norway and
Sweden.
For further information pie-
ase contact:
Indigenous Circumpolar
Youth Conference. C/O IW-
GIA. Fiolstraede 10, DK-
1171 Copenhagen K, Den-
mark. Tel: 45 33 47 24. Fax:
45 33 14 77 49
A Canadian plan for
sustainability
The Canadian offices of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference
(ICC) are involved in a unique and exciting process that it
hopes will ensure a sustainable future for the Arctic.
Inuit Tusaataat: Who de-
Indigenous Circumpolar
Youth Conference