Indigenous peoples' summit starts in Hokkaido

SAPPORO, July 2 Kyodo - Indigenous people from around the world gathered Tuesday in Biratori, Hokkaido, to talk about how to secure their indigenous rights and how to tackle environment issues.

The participants, including those from 11 nations such as the United States and
New Zealand, in the Indigenous Peoples Summit will submit the outcomes of their
discussion to the leaders of the Group of Eight major economies when the world
leaders meet at the Lake Toya resort on July 7-9.

At the opening ceremony, Shiro Kayano, who chairs the meeting, said in the Ainu
language, ''I'm really glad that many people from home and abroad have convened
here.''

''I hope we, the indigenous peoples, will be able to gather our wisdom to
tackle contemporary issues, such as the environment,'' he said.

The four-day meeting came after the United Nations adopted the U.N. Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last September, which outlines the
collective and individual rights of an estimated 370 million indigenous people. ==Kyodo