The Permanent Forum recognizes the importance of financing for Indigenous Peoples and appreciates the Global Environment Facility’s target of allocating 20 per cent of its funds to support initiatives for Indigenous Peoples. The Forum urges the Facility to create direct financing mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples.
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 recommends that the General Assembly conduct a highlevel meeting in September 2027 to evaluate the implementation of the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, with the enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples as a key deliverable of the event. The Forum advocates for the support of Indigenous Peoples’ preparatory efforts for that event by ensuring their full and effective participation and funding from Member States and the private sector.
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.
The Permanent Forum encourages collaborative research initiatives for innovative solutions to environmental challenges that engage Indigenous Peoples as equal partners, respecting and integrating Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems with so-called “Western” scientific research and fostering mutual learning and respect between Indigenous Peoples and the mainstream scientific community.
The dialogue highlighted the challenges Indigenous Peoples from Africa face in participating in United Nations meetings, including logistical obstacles in obtaining visas and a lack of financial resources. The Permanent Forum invites African States to contribute to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples and called for common efforts to facilitate visa processes in order to ensure the participation of African Indigenous Peoples, including women and youth.
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 calls upon the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Readiness Fund and the locally led Adaptation Fund, among others, to establish a mechanism for enhanced direct access for Indigenous Peoples by limiting intermediary organizations, with flexible access and transparent criteria that correspond to the needs of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum supports the initiatives that empower Indigenous women, recognizing their roles as custodians of biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge. Programmes should address the specific needs and leadership roles of women within Indigenous Peoples’ communities in order to ensure equitable participation in all funded projects.
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 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 Forum welcomes the work of the Government of Bangladesh to support peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Forum calls upon the Government to prioritize the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord of 1997 and to assess the implementation status of the Accord through full, meaningful and effective participation of the Accord signatory party, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, Chittagong Hill Tracts regional institutions and traditional governing bodies.