OEA/Ser.G CE/GCI-144/98
17 November1998
Original: Spanish

PLAN OF ACTION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN INDIAN INSTITUTE PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98)

INTER-AMERICAN INDIAN INSTITUTE
Specialized Organization of the OAS

September 14, 1998

Mr. Carlos Portales Cifuentes
Chair of the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management

Dear Mr. Portales Cifuentes:

In reply to your memorandum of this past August 7 requesting the Inter-American Indian Institute’s work plan pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98), I wish to inform you that, in accordance with the Plans of Action of the Summits, in particular the sections referring to indigenous populations, the III is carrying out the following activities:

1. We have convened the Third Technical Meeting of Directors of Indian Affairs within the Hemisphere, which will take place in November 1998. These meetings help us to coordinate strategies and policies between national governments and indigenous peoples.
2. We continue to participate fully in the process of consultation on the Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Populations, and also wish to emphasize that, according to that proposal, the responsibility for presenting a report to the General Assembly on implementation of the proposal, once approved, would fall to the III.
3. The Hemispheric Meeting on Bilingual-Bicultural Education at the ministerial level has been convened, and will be held in the second half of 1999. Its purpose is to establish policies and standards for a common strategy under which our nations may move ahead in the area of bilingual-bicultural education.
4. We have convened the Hemispheric Seminar on Certification in Indigenous Languages, to be held in October 1999. At the Seminar, experts are to define technical criteria to govern standards certifying mastery of indigenous languages. This will facilitate progress in the areas of law, education, and culture as well.
5. The Second Hemispheric Forum of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas has also been convened, and will be held in the second half of 1999. Its purpose is to help establish a forum for continuing discussion in the Hemisphere and facilitate urgently needed intercultural dialogue.
6. The Twelfth Inter-American Indian Congress is also to be held in the second half of 1999. The III will present a formal proposal to reform the institutions of the Indian movement with a view to the new millennium by amending the P�tzcuaro Convention. The reform will be based on cooperation with indigenous peoples, shared responsibility for decisions, and a fresh effort at planning and joint execution.
7. To date, establishment of the Center for Information and Documentation of the Indian Peoples of the Americas is 40% complete. In the near future, this technical body will provide for the establishment of basic criteria for standardized information on indigenous peoples in the various countries of the Americas, which will be a useful tool for analysis and for planning policies and strategies.
8. The publications Am�rica Ind�gena and Anuario Indigenista, which have been a forum for reflection on indigenous peoples, are gradually shifting their focus to reflection and dialogue by indigenous peoples. More than 60% of the published articles comprise research and thought by Indian intellectuals.

I hope this report proves useful, and am available for any clarification or comment.

Sincerely yours,

Jos� del Val Blanco
Ethnologist
Director

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