Dakelh Territory, Prince George, British Columbia. Canada. – The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) representative Vice Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, RPF will be in Russia from July 6 to 7, 2011 speaking to Russian forestry experts, government and Russian indigenous groups. As the British Columbia Representative on the National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA), Vice Chief Teegee will provide some insight into the challenges and opportunities First Nations have had in north central British Columbia, Canada.
“We are very excited about sharing our knowledge and experiences with the Russian government and indigenous communities”, stated Teegee. The Russian project is being led by Minregion and the Ministry of Natural Resources of Khabarovsky Krai, with the participation from the All-Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East (RAIPON). The Department of Aboriginal Affairs Canada is leading the Canadian side of the project.
The project is aimed at sharing best practices in the area of socio-economic development of indigenous communities and sustainable resource management in Russia and Canada. The Russian government is working on developing a Model Territory district to pilot how indigenous communities can better benefit from resources in their territories.
“A cornerstone of improving indigenous peoples socio-economic situation is to develop domestic policies and laws, with indigenous peoples that include principles of respect, reconciliation and reciprocity,” said Vice Tribal Chief Teegee. He also noted, “If these instruments don’t exist then there are international ones like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It outlines minimum globally accepted standards for the well-being, survival and dignity of indigenous peoples.”
Vice Chief Teegee stated, “Our Dakelh and Sekani peoples share similar climates and customs as the indigenous peoples in Russia. We are looking forward to learning more and contributing to respectful and productive dialogues with everyone involved.”
For more information please contact:
Vice Tribal Chief Terry Teegee. Office (250) 562-6279 e.223. Cell: (250) 640-3256.
Email: tteegee@cstc.bc.ca
Dakelh Territory, Prince George, British Columbia. Canada. – The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) representative Vice Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, RPF will be in Russia from July 6 to 7, 2011 speaking to Russian forestry experts, government and Russian indigenous groups. As the British Columbia Representative on the National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA), Vice Chief Teegee will provide some insight into the challenges and opportunities First Nations have had in north central British Columbia, Canada.