Dr Moses spoke on the topic of Indigenous Self-Determination, and of his aspirations that the human rights of indigenous peoples be recognised and respected. I do not want that recognition to be conditional on what I intend to do with my rights, or on how I shall invoke my rights. I want the rights of indigenous peoples to apply universally and indivisibly, just as rights apply to all other peoples. Dr Moses commented that he is sometimes asked what indigenous people really want. It suggests, even if we give you what you want, you will still want more.
Governments fear the recognition of our rights.
They want to know what we will do if our rights are recognised. Governments should be asking what we will do if our rights are not recognised. This is a question of much greater relevance to the interests of States. International human rights law is founded on the concept of a universal moral imperative. This ethical foundation, however, is tempered with a practical knowledge of human nature and history.