The Permanent Forum commends UNFPA for its financial and technical support for strengthening national capacity for censuses, surveys and needs assessments, and for its focus on the 2010 round of censuses, the results of which will be critical for assessing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The Permanent Forum recommends that UNFPA vigorously promote the inclusion of indigenous peoples in the 2010 round of censuses, particularly in cases where Governments may seek to avoid questions pertaining to indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum encourages the full participation of Indigenous Peoples in environmental assessment processes, including in the context of possible deep-sea mining, as such participation also guarantees the contributions of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge. Given the length of the Arctic coastlines, Indigenous Peoples need to be involved in the monitoring of relevant international shipping routes and their impacts on marine biodiversity and seabeds.
Follow the principle of free, prior and informed consent at all levels and take into account both the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics as established by the Statistical Commission and provisions on human rights and fundamental freedoms and data protection regulations and privacy guarantees including respect for confidentiality. For indigneous peoples living in voluntary isolation, data-collection exercises should not be used as a pretext for establishing forced contact