The Permanent Forum calls for increased investments in educational programmes and capacity-building initiatives that empower Indigenous Peoples to navigate legal and bureaucratic processes in managing their resources in keeping with their cultural and spiritual values and self-determined development. These initiatives should support the transmission of Indigenous knowledge and skills across generations, enhancing resilience and sustainability.
The Permanent Forum regrets the outcome and impact of the “Indigenous Voice” referendum on Indigenous Peoples, in particular Indigenous youth, held in Australia in 2023, which undermines their journey towards the full realization of the right to self-determination for Indigenous Peoples. The Forum urges the Government of Australia to implement the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Chile and France to adhere to their international obligations under the Declaration, and to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Rapa Nui People (Chile) and the Indigenous Peoples of the overseas territories of France and resolve ongoing conflicts.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States and financial institutions to enhance direct financial support for Indigenous Peoples-led projects with funding mechanisms that are equitable, non-discriminatory, accessible, flexible and responsive to Indigenous Peoples’ self-determined priorities across all seven sociocultural regions, without political impediments that could obstruct fair resource allocation. Such support should empower Indigenous Peoples to manage their environmental resources and engage in sustainable economic activities without reliance on intermediaries.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the Community Land Act of Kenya, which represents a critical step towards securing the land rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum reiterates its recommendation that the Government of Kenya implement a sustainable system of equitable land tenure to prevent further evictions of the Ogiek community in the Mau forest, and calls upon the Government to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the sustainable management of forests and to comply with the decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Permanent Forum emphasizes the essential role of Indigenous Peoples’ languages and cultural practices in self-determination and urges Member States to adopt stronger measures to protect them from erosion and loss. The Forum decries the ongoing destruction of cultural heritage sites and the loss of Indigenous Peoples’ languages, urging immediate protective measures through robust legal and policy frameworks aligned with the Declaration.
The rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact continue to face grave threats of dispossession and destruction of their ancestral territories, as well as the risk of genocide, owing to the lack of recognition of their rights. These threats include encroachment by extractive industries and the rapid imposition of monocultures, deforestation, violence, and the presence and proselytism of missionaries, including Mennonite groups. The Permanent Forum urges the application and observance of guidelines and recommendations by regional and international entities, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact.
The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States in the region enhance the protection of Indigenous Peoples through recognition and autonomy, in line with the Declaration, by revising legal and policy frameworks. Governments should rectify the injustices of the colonial past, taking into consideration Indigenous Peoples and their perspectives, in particular those of Indigenous youth, ensuring the participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making.
The Permanent Forum urges the European Union to include the standards of the Declaration within its corporate sustainability due diligence regulations and rules, in particular in the context of implementing the Critical Raw Materials Act on the territories of Indigenous Peoples, both inside and outside the European Union.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation that Member States review and revise their constitutions and legal frameworks to comprehensively recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the right to self-determination. Such review and revision processes should be driven and guided by Indigenous Peoples. The Forum also recommends that Member States develop and adopt specific national action plans to ensure that all policies and laws conform with the recognition and advancement of the right to self-determination, including self-governance and autonomy. The Forum further recommends that States engage in processes focused on decolonization and reconciliation policies that facilitate the path of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, with the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the adverse effects of climate change and irresponsible resource extraction on Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories. The Forum calls upon Member States, the United Nations and other international organizations to support Indigenous-led initiatives to mitigate these impacts and stresses the importance of self-governance of Indigenous Peoples in managing these natural resources.
The lack of recognition of Indigenous Peoples violates their right to self-determination. Their legal recognition should be aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the report of the Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.1 The Permanent Forum invites African Governments to join groups of friends of Indigenous Peoples.