The Permanent Forum again urges Member States to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are afforded full and effective participation in all planning and policy development to address climate change. Indigenous-led climate change policies incorporate the vital knowledge of Indigenous Peoples for land management and stewardship of natural resources while protecting health, equity, justice and sustainability. Principles of free, prior and informed consent must be followed in the development of all climate change policies and actions.
The Permanent Forum recognizes that land conflict is a controversial issue and encourages Member States and indigenous peoples to continue dialogue to find common solutions.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the efforts of the Green Climate Fund and its Indigenous Peoples’ advisory group, and recommends that the Fund develop a road map for dedicated, predictable funding for Indigenous Peoples, including through capacity-building at the national level to ensure that the Fund’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme2 supports Indigenous Peoples. The Forum requests a progress report at its next session in 2025.
The Permanent Forum requests United Nations entities, in particular those working on land tenure and changes in land use, to advance the research on securing the land and territorial rights of indigenous peoples, taking into account the negative impacts of, inter alia, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic and regional conflicts.
"The Permanent Forum urges States to provide information to it on developments relating to the collective rights of indigenous peoples and constructive agreements with indigenous peoples at its eighteenth session, including the following: (a) Effective measures taken to halt land alienation in the territories of indigenous peoples; (b) Financial and technical assistance provided to indigenous peoples to map the boundaries of their communal lands; (c) Legal and policy frameworks that have been implemented for the registration of collective titles; (d) National legislation adopted with the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples when such legislation involves their territories, lands and natural resources."
The Permanent Forum invites the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to share the findings of the next open multi-stakeholder dialogues on the operationalization of the local communities and indigenous peoples platform at the seventeenth session of the Forum. The Forum urges Member States to operationalize the platform in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum takes note with concern of the situation of indigenous peoples of the Sahel and other parts of Africa, where a number of factors, including climate change, are having a devastating impact on economic development and human security. The lack of recognition of the collective rights of these peoples has created fertile ground for their loss of territories and resources and the emergence of complex forms of conflict, including violent extremism. The Forum calls on the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to prepare recommendations for the consideration of the African Union to address this situation, in partnership with the Economic Commission for Africa and other regional bodies.
The Permanent Forum is concerned about the impacts of climate change in the Sahel and Great Lakes regions, which have triggered armed conflicts and displacement, and heightened the vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum calls for regional climate action.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by issues related to land tenure, the collective rights of indigenous peoples, customary rights, land-grabbing and the closure of transhumance corridors. The Permanent Forum therefore recommends that States of the Sahel and the Congo basin establish a legal framework to consolidate their national and local land tenure regimes with a view to resolving conflicts peacefully. In addition, those States should enhance access to justice for the aff ected indigenous pastoralists and provide training for judicial officials on those issues.
The Permanent Forum encourages and commends the development and implementation of environmental monitoring systems led by Indigenous Peoples that utilize the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and modern technology to oversee and manage natural resources effectively. Such approaches that are aligned with Indigenous Peoples’ autonomy objectives provide valuable data for global environmental efforts.
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 Forum reiterates its request to the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators to make the land-related indicator operational, including on changing land use and the security of land tenure in the traditional territories of indigenous peoples.