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February 1, 2021, the day on which the newly elected parliament had scheduled its first official parliamentary session in Myanmar after the election held in November 2020. Just hours before the scheduled sessions, the military conducted a house-raid and arrested several elected leaders and politicians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and president Win Myint and other senior government figures. The Myanmar military then declared a state of emergency and imposed curfews putting restrictions on public gatherings.

For months now, since the military coup on February 1, 2021, people from all walks of life in Myanmar have been continuously taking to the streets in protest. Everyday thousands of people have been detained, including high profile leaders and politicians of the civilian government. Many are kept under house arrest with no outside contact and in most cases their whereabouts are still unknown. Large demonstrations against the coup are occurring daily in Myanmar, defying the curfews and restrictions put in place by the military.

The first meeting of the Permanent Forum was held in May 2002, with yearly sessions thereafter. The Forum usually meets for 10 days each year, at the UN Headquarters in New York. According to the ECOSOC resolution E/2000/22, the Forum may also meet at the UN Office in Geneva or at such other place that it decides.
Cultural Survival attended the permanent forum in April 2023, and spoke to some of the delegates who attended.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Interviewee: Naw Ei Ei Min
Image: Cultural Survival

In this interview, Dev Kumar Sunuwar of Cultural Survival speaks with Mohammed Rofique, a member of the Rohingya community, who shares the powerful story of how his family was forced to flee their homeland in Myanmar. Rofique recounts the difficult and dangerous journey they undertook, crossing rugged terrain, dense forests, and treacherous paths in search of safety. Facing violence, uncertainty, and exhaustion, his family ultimately reached the border of Bangladesh, where they sought refuge.

There are over 476 million Indigenous Peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 percent of the global population. Indigenous Peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own worldviews and priorities.
In this radio program, we hear from Nailejileji Tipap, who works as the Gender and Public Relations Coordinator at Pastoralists Indigenous NGOs Forum in Tanzania.

World Refugee Day is celebrated each year on June 20th. This year, the commemoration emphasizes the right to seek safety.
Regardless of who they are, where they come from, and whenever they feel forced to flee, every person on this planet has the right to seek safety.
In this podcast, we look at the situation unfolding in Tanzania, where an estimated 80 000 Maasai people are threatened to leave their ancestral land.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris(Khoisan)
Guest voice Diana Morat of Eldos FM, Johannesburg, South Africa

In Tanzania, the Indigenous Maasai people have been facing displacement for a long time.
The most recent incident of land loss involves large numbers of Maasai peoples being forced to leave their ancestral homes to make way for a game reserve. The adverse effects of losing land will be felt for a long time. In this radio program, we uncover some reasons why Indigenous Peoples worldwide face extreme poverty.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Edson Krenak (Krenak)
Music: 'Whispers' by Ziibiwan, used with permission

Some groups in the Maasai community rely on livestock as their sole source of income, leaving them vulnerable. Some of the challenges they face include scarcity of resources, climate change, and livestock diseases. In this Maa language interview, Kipaya Ole Mapi, a pastoralist from Monduli District, tells us about the plight of his people.
Produced by Mathias Thooko (Maasai)
Interviewee Kipaya Ole Mapi (Maasai)
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Haluci Nation, used with permission.