The 3rd Biannual General Conference of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) in its Jokai Declaration urges the Northeast States to safeguard the rights and interests of the indigenous people.
The 3rd Biannual General Conference of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) was held in Jokai Bon, Koibartta in Dibrugarh, Assam from March 21 to 22, 2025. The conference was organised with Indigenous Forum Assam (IFA).
The conference was concluded on Saturday, March 22, 2025 with a declaration entitled Jokai Declaration calling the people of the Northeast states to unite for genuine peace.
Representatives from various civil organizations and delegates from the Northeast states delved into a wide range of issues confronting the region and resolved to recommend the state governments to deliberate on indigenous issues and enact laws to protect their rights and interests.
The conference assured that the NEIPF is committed to the socio-cultural, economic and political interdependence of the people and the unity of the region. It is also conscious of the imminent multidimensional threats, particularly continuous influx of immigrants and predatory government and corporate aggressions.
The participants of the conference called for a collective resistance for survival and resolved to present the Jokai Declaration.
Earlier, the delegates of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) elected the new office bearers of the Forum for the next term. Anup Chetia of Assam was unanimously elected as the Chairman while N Ibungochoubi of Manipur will be the Secretary General of the Forum. Khehoto Swu, Yumlam Achung and Dundee Cliff will be the Vice-Chairmen.
JOKAI DECLARATION
The 3rd Biannual General Conference
of the North East Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (NEIPF) held in Jokai Bon Koibartta Gaon, Dibrugarh with Indigenous Forum, Assam adopts this declaration to be known as “Jokai Declaration” on this Saturday, 22nd March 2025
Committing to the socio-cultural, economic and political interdependence of the people and the unity of the region;
Conscious of the imminent multi-dimensional threats particularly continues influx of immigrants and the predatory government and corporate aggressions;
We the participants of the conference call for a collective resistance for survival and thereby resolve as follows:
Article 1: To recommend the State chapters to create conditions for a harmonious co-existence among the people for genuine peace by transcending exclusive ideologies with the vision of inter-dependent existence of the indigenous people of the region;
Article 2: To secure the future generations of the indigenous people by documenting indigenous people’s disaggregated data base of indigenous people; and
Article 3: To urge the Legislative Assemblies of all the North Eastern States to deliberate upon the issues for safeguarding the rights and interests of the indigenous peoples of the region and enact a suitable law to open a Department on Indigenous Affairs.
