Council’s 1st Meeting Advances Obama’s Commitment to Tribes

July 31, 2013 - PRLog -- Interior Sec’y Sally Jewell on Monday (July 29) convenes the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Native American Affairs.

The event launches a White House policy initiative aimed at getting federal agencies to work more collaboratively with federally recognized tribes in order to advance their vital economic and social priorities, as spelled out in President Obama’s Executive Order of June 26.

The Council, which will meet at least three times a year, will focus its efforts on five priorities that mirror issues tribal leaders have raised during previous White House Tribal Nations Conferences. These include:

*Promoting sustainable economic development;

*Supporting greater access to and control over healthcare;

*Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of tribal justice systems;

*Expanding and improving educational opportunities for Native American youth; and

*Protecting and supporting the sustainable management of Native lands, environments, and natural resources.

The Executive Order that established the Council also institutionalized the White House Tribal Nation Conference (http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid...) as an annual event, which has been held each year since President Obama took office. The conferences bring together leaders from all federally recognized tribes with Cabinet members and senior White House officials. The president hosted the conference four times since 2009.

Info: Access the June 26 Executive Order at http://tinyurl.com/pofsnvu

For more on this and other issues of importance to Native Americans, be sure to read the latest edition of Native American Report, located online at www.cdpublications.com/nar.