We benefit from working together to create opportunities for our communities.
天美传媒 National University鈥檚 (ANU) First Nations Portfolio (FNP) has helped establish and deliver a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that unites prominent First Nations organisations from Australia and Canada for mutual economic reconciliation and self-determination.
The unique international agreement between key Indigenous-led organisations in Australia and Canada prioritises Indigenous collaboration and diplomacy. It seeks to address the entrenched economic exclusion and lack of opportunity of Indigenous peoples in the two countries.
It was signed and endorsed by:
- 鈥(颁补苍补诲补)鈥&苍产蝉辫;
- 鈥(颁补苍补诲补)鈥&苍产蝉辫;
- ANU First Nations Portfolio
- First Australians Capital
- Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (Australia)
- National Native Title Council (Australia).
The MOU establishes a collaborative framework focused on trade, investment, governance, and capacity building, with an emphasis on Indigenous-led diplomacy and innovation.
It reflects the principles of equity, reciprocity, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This new partnership is dedicated to creating sustainable economic opportunities for Indigenous communities in both countries.
In a joint statement the signatories noted that the Indigenous peoples in Australia and Canada shared similar dispossession of lands and waters, denial of rights, and systematic exclusion from the economy and from opportunities for wealth creation.
"This exclusion and marginalisation of Indigenous peoples from economic opportunities is an ongoing issue in both Australia and Canada," they said.
鈥淭he MOU is an important milestone in the developing relationship between our respective First Nations peoples and agencies from Australia and Canada. It demonstrates the important shared historical experiences and common commitment to First Nations economic empowerment as fundamental to our self-determination,鈥 said ANU Vice-President (First Nations) Professor Peter Yu.
National Native Title Council CEO Jamie Lowe added: 鈥淎lthough we are culturally distinct and diverse, our Australian and Canadian brothers and sisters share a long history of cultural resistance and strength. We benefit from working together to create opportunities for our communities.鈥
鈥淭he MOU is an important next step in our expanding relationship with First Nations partners in Australia. Our connections have grown in recent years, and this agreement reflects our shared awareness of the benefits greater collaboration will yield in business opportunities, economic development, and the preservation of cultural assets. We still have much to learn from each other,鈥 said Harold Calla, Executive Chair of Canada鈥檚 First Nations Financial Management Board.
First Australians Capital chairperson Leah Armstrong said the group was "excited by the opportunity to grow global collaborations".
"Our shared histories and pursuits on reconciliation and self-determination provide the foundations for advancing Indigenous economic rights and wealth creation," she said.
Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation CEO Joe Morrison said: "People and Country is at the heart of why the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation was established. We work in partnership with First Nations peoples so they can achieve self-determination through the return of their Country.鈥
President and chief executive of Canada's First Nations Finance Authority, Ernie Daniels, said: "This MOU will allow us to start the conversation about how we can collaborate to advance Indigenous economic reconciliation in Australia and Canada."
The agreement was signed on Thursday, 16 November 2023, in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
