AUSTRALASIA – The Darwin Convention Centre has hosted the first ever World Indigenous Network (WIN) Conference, 26-29 May 2013.
Over 1,300 delegates representing hundreds of first nation peoples travelled from 50 countries to attend the conference.
Aimed at Indigenous peoples and local communities’ land and sea managers, the six-day event saw an exchange of knowledge about managing natural environments the traditional and modern way.
Professor James Anaya, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was the keynote speaker for the event. Melissa George, a Wulgurukaba woman and WIN National Advisory Group Co-chair, and actor/activist Chaske Spencer of the Lakota Sioux Tribe were the Masters of Ceremony and hosts of the conference.
There were over 70 concurrent workshops, conference sessions and keynote presentations bringing together valuable lessons learned from Canada, Nepal, the Amazon, Sweden, Ecuador, the Philippines, New Zealand, Timor, and Hawaii among others.
The opening ceremony was a cultural event showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander song and dance traditions. The Bangarra Dance Theatre led the entertainment fare, which also featured the Baiwa Dance Company, Doonoch Dance Company and Gary Lang.
“The world has come to Darwin for this fantastic opportunity to recognise and showcase Indigenous knowledge in land and sea protection,” said Malu Barrios, GM of the Darwin Convention Centre.
“We heard so many inspirational stories of achievement and look forward to a successful linking of Indigenous expertise and modern technology to improve the way we manage our environment globally.”
The post conference programme featured field trips to the Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks, Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands.
WIN 2013 kick starts the development of the network, an initiative of the Australian Government that quickly transformed from an idea in 2011 to reality when it was launched by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) in Brazil in June 2012.
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