The Prime Minister has said that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People does not readily apply to Fiji in the way that it does to those nations whose indigenous citizens have been and continue to be exploited, marginalised and dispossessed.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the PM said the indigenous experience in Fiji was “rare if not unique” in that the iTaukei had not been dispossessed by their colonisers as in the case of countries like Australia and the US.
The Prime Minister highlighted the fact that approximately 91 per cent of all land in Fiji is owned through customary ownership by the indigenous people.
“(This land) cannot be permanently alienated under any circumstances. This has given the indigenous people a level of security that has been noticeably absent in other countries and has been central to their social and economic wellbeing,” he said.
The Prime Minister said existing safeguards for the i’Taukei guaranteed them a higher level of security than other indigenous peoples in other parts of the world.
“Indigenous ownership of land, as well as the recognition of their unique culture, traditions and language are protected under our Constitution and are under no threat whatsoever,” the PM said.