Thank you, Mr Chairperson.

My name is Giancarlo Barbadoro, Chairperson of the Ecospirituality Foundation and Representative in Italy for the Apache Survival Coalition.
I'd like everyone here to reflect on the future of the global development of Indigenous Peoples, presently engaged in re-establishing their social and economic identity.
We believe Indigenous Peoples have their own identity that makes them stand out compared to the societies that live alongside them, which we may define, for historical reasons, as "majority-ruled".
We think that the difference of identity between these two realities on the planet is not only due to socio-economic reasons but also to the uniqueness of the roots and traditions of Indigenous Peoples, that make them so different compared to the cultures of the "majority-ruled" societies.
The Indigenous Peoples do not belong to the history that has been constructed down the ages by the mass religions. They have their own clear relationship with Nature and the environment, a relationship which has been the source of their experience and the fount of their traditions.
We believe therefore that it is not enough simply to help Indigenous Peoples on a socio-economic level; we should equally contribute to the development and the protection of their moral identity, which makes them distinct, precisely as Indigenous Peoples.
Otherwise, it could turn out that just when the Indigenous Peoples finally manage to recover on a purely socio-economic basis, they will then find themselves ill-equipped to deal with the pressing pace of the "majority-ruled" societies. Therefore we deem it necessary that they should also be helped and protected in recovering their particular cultural identity, based on their own traditional roots. This should be the way for them to enjoy the benefits of interacting with the "majority-ruled" societies on a level moral basis and thus enable them to complete their socio-economic development without traumas or conflictuality.
For this reason we believe it is important to protect and draw attention to the cultural roots of the Indigenous Peoples, so that the emancipation of their socio-economic reality may be accompanied by the highlighting of the reality of the traditional features underlying their moral identity.
We are sure that this situation could lead to a constructive exchange of values that could prove useful for everybody.

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.