Forum Overview

All activities will be taking place at the Westin Bayshore, located at 1601 Bayshore Drive, V6G 2V4, in Vancouver, BC.

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Forum on UNDA will feature plenary sessions, interactive dialogues, and concurrent sessions aimed at promoting holistic and culturally informed policy approaches. The forum topics may include:

• Implementation of the UN Declaration, covering Canada’s Action Plan, British Columbia’s DRIPA legislation, and the UNDA’s impact on First Nations rights
• Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)
• First Nations human rights in domestic and international fora
• Inherent rights, including in self-government, self-determination, and sovereignty
• Obligations concerning the duty to consult and accommodate
• Defining engagement expectations for First Nations leaders, communities, and government partners

Please consult the attached documents for more information:

• AFN Resolution 17/2021: https://afn.bynder.com/m/7d67199ce2f59f4e/original/17-2021-National-Action-Plan-to-Implement-the-United-Nations-Declaration-on-the-Rights-of-Indigenous-Peoples.pdf
• UNDA Action Plan (2023-2028): https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/ap-pa/ah/pdf/unda-action-plan-digital-eng.pdf
• What We Learned Report (March 2023): https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/wwl-cna/ccp-pcc/index.html

 Monday, February 3, 2025

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Forum Pre-Registration open

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  – Welcome Reception

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Forum Registration open

8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.  – Plenaries, Panel Presentations and Concurrent Sessions

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

8:00 a.m.  – 12:00 p.m. – Registration open

9:00 a.m.  – 5:00 p.m.  – Panel Presentations, Concurrent Sessions, Closing Plenary

Sponsorship Opportunities

We invite you to become a sponsor of the National Forum on the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA). Forum attendees will include First Nations Chiefs and Council as well as First Nations technicians, NGOs and other organizations. There are a number of sponsorship opportunities, and more information can be found in our sponsorship package.

Sponsorship Package

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Travel

Indigeno Travel is the preferred travel agency of the AFN. Indigeno Travel is Indigenous-owned, and its service comes complete with conference discounts, 24/7 emergency service for unforeseen flight changes, and a dedicated agent for personalized service. Please contact Indigeno, toll-free at 1-888-202-8262, or by email at [email protected] to make your flight arrangements.  

Flight Discounts: 

Air Canada

Please visit www.aircanada.com to make a booking online using the promotion code listed below. 

Your Air Canada promotion code:  TUV6X8V1 

Applicable Rules:  

• The booking is to be made to the following city: Vancouver, YVR (CA)
• The travel period begins on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, and ends on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
• Travel is valid Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
• For North America’ 5% applies on standard fares, 10% on flex fares & higher. For International Travel’ 10% on standard fares & higher.

Westjet

Coupon Code – Guest web/Travel Agent web: 2A4X3SS

Westjet is happy to confirm that for the upcoming National Forum on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, we are able to offer 5% off Econo* and 10% off EconoFlex and Premium fares for travel within Canada and 2% off Econo*, 5% off EconoFlex and 10% off Premium base fares for guests travelling Trans-border. No discount will apply to Ultra Basic or Business class bookings. To take advantage of this offer, you will need the discount code listed. Please visit www.westjet.com/conventions to make a booking online.

Applicable Rules

• The booking is to be made to the following city: Vancouver, British Columbia
• The travel period begins: 1/28/2025
• The travel period ends: 2/12/2025

Porter Airlines

Porter Airlines is proud to offer a up to 10% discount on available base fares (with the exception of the lowest class fare during a public seat sale) for travel to and from the National Forum on the UNDA 2025. The discounted fares are available for booking from November 18, 2024 to February 03, 2025 and available for travel

The discounted fare is available for travel from all locations to Vancouver (YVR) from February 1, 2025, to February 4, 2025, and return from Vancouver (YVR) to all locations from February 5, 2025, to February 8, 2025.

Please book online at https://www.flyporter.com or through your travel agent using promo code

“NFUN25”

Hotel Accommodations

The host hotel for the Forum is the Westin Bayshore, 1601 Bayshore Drive, in Vancouver, BC. The room rate is $299.00/night plus applicable taxes.

Hotel rooms at the conference venue are limited.  Please note when making your hotel guestroom reservations there will be a one-night non-refundable charge.  We ask for your understanding as this is done to avoid attrition costs for the rooms being held for the host organization.

To book your room online, please go to the following link:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/

Accessibility

The AFN is committed to ensuring that our events are safe and accessible spaces where individuals of all abilities can participate fully and with dignity. For questions about accessibility or to request support during the event, such as American Sign Language Interpretation, Langue des Signes Quebecoise interpretation, reserved seating for those who use mobility devices, access to a quiet room for those with sensory processing disabilities, Braille materials, etc., please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Contact Information

If you need assistance registering online, please contact the AFN Registration Coordinator at [email protected].

For information on the AFN Forum on UNDA, please email [email protected].