The Permanent Forum recognizes and commends Australia and Colombia for changing their positions by endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and calls upon the remaining States that are opposed to it, as well as those abstaining, to reverse their positions and endorse the Declaration so as to achieve full consensus.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision of Bolivia to make the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples national law and to include it in the Constitution approved by the Constituent Assembly. The Forum expresses its support for Bolivia’s implementation of the Declaration through national laws and other means that lead towards the restitution of lands and territories to the indigenous peoples of eastern Bolivia. The Forum encourages Ecuador and Nepal to give due consideration to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in their current constitutional processes.
UNICEF should consider developing projects to benefit indigenous children in developed countries as required, taking into consideration that many indigenous children in such countries, mainly those living in rural areas, face the same problems as indigenous children in developing countries.
The Forum appreciates the information provided by the Council of Europe on the ways in which indigenous issues have been addressed in that organization. The Forum recommends that other appropriate regional intergovernmental organizations provide it with information on the ways in which indigenous issues have been addressed in their respective mechanisms for the protection of human rights and invites them to establish contacts with the Forum and to extend their experience with other regions.
The Permanent Forum recommends that Paraguay should speed up the reform of INDI and of other institutions with competence in indigenous issues so that the proper participation of indigenous peoples will strengthen their democratic representation before the legislative and judicial powers, which are still reluctant to act.
The Forum calls upon the United Nations Development Program to develop an indigenous peoples-specific development index by country to take into account the social conditions and human rights situation of indigenous peoples
The Forum notes that in order for it and the United Nations system to review the situation of indigenous children and youth, there is a need for country-specific situation analyses. Given UNICEF’s unique and long experience and expertise in that area, the Forum invites UNICEF to initiate such situation analyses on indigenous children by field offices in countries with indigenous communities. The Forum also invites UNICEF to transmit such situation analyses to the Forum.
Many States have established mechanisms to protect human rights. However, the Permanent Forum is concerned that such mechanisms might prioritize individual rights over collective rights. It calls upon States, in cooperation with national human rights institutions, to comply with their commitments made in the outcome document of the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, with the aim of achieving the full enforcement of the collective rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum supports the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its current effort to draft a general comment on the status of indigenous children worldwide, supports the Committee’s effort to secure broad input from indigenous peoples and encourages wide dissemination of the final report to indigenous peoples, States and United Nations bodies and agencies.
The Permanent Forum urges States to review their policies on biofuel industries, which, in the name of remedying the impacts of climate change, are resulting in the deforestation of large forest areas and the displacement of indigenous peoples. That increases the vulnerability of indigenous communities and in particular of those living in voluntary isolation.
The Forum welcomes the participation and perspective of indigenous women and girls with disabilities, recognizes the distinct vulnerability and marginalization that such indigenous individuals encounter as members of an indigenous group, and encourages United Nations agencies, and Governments and organizations, to include their views.
The Permanent Forum invites the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples to examine and report on the situation of the human rights of indigenous peoples in Non-Self-Governing Territories of the Pacific region, and urges relevant States to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur for that purpose.