The Permanent Forum recommends that information be coordinated within State ministries and United Nations agencies that have responsibilities and mandates relating to indigenous peoples’ access to lands, territories and natural resources.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs guarantee the participation of indigenous women during the 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in 2010.
The Permanent Forum expresses concern regarding indigenous young people in situations in which they are increasingly migrating from their communities because of poverty, lack of economic opportunities and climate change. With a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 8, the Forum encourages ILO and IOM, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to conduct a study, by 2021, on good practices on, opportunities for and challenges in generating culturally appropriate, decent work for indigenous young people. The study should inform the development of programmes and initiatives for indigenous youth employment, both in their communities and in the context of migration.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by Member States in 2015, the Permanent Forum has repeatedly highlighted the importance of ensuring the meaningful and full participation of indigenous peoples in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Unfortunately, the world is not on track to meet globally agreed targets. This has been particularly evident during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which existing inequities have been exacerbated, placing the survival of indigenous peoples at greater risk. During the pandemic, indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women and girls, have not only been left behind, but have been left even further behind.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the important technical Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of Food Security of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and recommends that FAO and other agencies, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, organize a workshop on the implementation of these guidelines in order to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights to land, territories and resources consistent with articles 25, 26, 41 and 42 of the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other relevant United Nations entities collaborate with indigenous organizations in all regions to develop comprehensive guidelines, including best practices for culturally safe sex education by and for indigenous peoples. That type of comprehensive education may serve as an effective violence-prevention means.
The Forum urges States and the United Nations agencies to support the attendance and participation of indigenous youth at future sessions of the Permanent Forum
The Forum decides to devote sufficient time during its fifth session to special events for the purpose of identifying the issues, challenges and positive measures of cooperation required to improve the situation of indigenous peoples in the above-mentioned regions (North America, the Arctic, the Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America) and invites the United Nations system, as well as relevant Governments, regional intergovernmental institutions and organizations, and indigenous peoples organizations to contribute to these special events
The Permanent Forum welcomes efforts made by UN-Women, in the preparation of the first global report on indigenous women and girls, to highlight progress in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and prospects for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to indigenous women and girls, including in matters related to informal work, migration and working conditions. The Forum recommends that UN-Women continue this work in close cooperation with indigenous women’s organizations.
Relations with the Commission on Sustainable Development should be strengthened, inter alia, by ensuring that the Chairpersons of the Commission and the Permanent Forum are invited to present statements at each other’s annual meetings and that cooperation between the secretariats of the Commission and the Permanent Forum is enhanced.
The accessibility of general recommendation No. 39 to Indigenous Peoples is crucial to ensure its effective implementation and impact on the ground. The Permanent Forum recommends its translation into Indigenous languages spoken by Indigenous Peoples in their States before the end of 2032.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the launching of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership (UNIPP) and urges Member States and others to provide support for the implementation of joint country programmes in at least 8 to 10 countries over the next five years and to the Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development in Asia and the Pacific through UNIPP.