During the two months at the Centre, I was involved with administration of the Indigenous Fellowship Programme and the Voluntary Fund of the International Decade of the Worlds' Indigenous Peoples. Overall, the experience was frustrating, enriching and enlightening. The United Nations is extremely bureaucratic and, with the recent restructuring, staff morale is low. One day, I ran from office to office looking for someone to answer a question. The client-based corporate restructuring approach has not solved the bureaucratic dilemma.
Human rights are neither products nor services.
On Christmas Day, I returned home with my head full of memories, and a big fat suitcase crammed with presents. I also returned with a greater awareness of the stance of indigenous peoples in the global context, where my previous focus had been primarily domestic. I will never forget the shared visions, experiences and inspirations of so many people sharing the struggle.