The Permanent Forum welcomes the recognition by UNICEF of the valuable contributions indigenous children and youth can make in their local communities to ensure the sustainability of climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. The Forum urges the Fund to continue to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on indigenous children and youth, and requests that it ensure the effective participation of indigenous children and youth in the discussions on and solutions to environmental issues in accordance with article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Permanent Forum recommends that a capacity-development component be included in UNDP projects that affect indigenous peoples. The Forum also recommends that the experience and knowledge of the Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility be utilized by other small-grant schemes and that a stronger link be developed between efforts to enhance the capacity of indigenous peoples’ organizations and UNDP efforts to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples in national policy processes
States should recognize indigenous peoples’ rights to forests and should review and amend laws that are not consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international standards on indigenous peoples’ land and natural resource rights, including over forests. This includes indigenous peoples’ customary law on land and resource rights and the right to be fully involved in decision-making processes.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the recent entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Forum encourages Member States to accede to the Optional Protocol and requests the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to consider the preparation of a general comment on the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the efforts of UNDP to endorse the political participation of indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean and its support in the preparation of the report on democracy and indigenous peoples in the region. The Forum recommends to UNDP that it extend this good practice to other regions and follow up regularly.
This dialogue follows on the international expert group meeting on the theme “Conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples” (E/C.19/2019/7). The Permanent Forum endorses the recommendations from the meeting and urges States, conservation organizations, indigenous peoples and United Nations entities to work together in implementing the recommendations.
The Forum recommends the establishment of an international ethical code on bio-prospecting in order to avoid bio-piracy and ensure the respect for indigenous cultural and intellectual heritage. Under the framework of the Convention, a mechanism should be established for the repatriation and devolution of genetic materials collections to indigenous peoples. The Forum recommends to the Convention secretariat that the global taxonomy initiative incorporate an ethical principles and social framework for the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, traditional knowledge and resources before its implementation.
The United Nations system is encouraged to support the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals at the national and local levels.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the positive contributions of the members of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues and urges them to continue implementing development projects and programmes in participation with indigenous peoples, where applicable. The Forum also requests that more case studies of good practices and lessons learned be presented at the sessions of the Forum, including information about less successful cases
The Permanent Forum appoints Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Mr. Aqquluk Lynge as its special rapporteurs to prepare a report on “Impact of climate change mitigation measures on the territories and lands of indigenous peoples”, to be submitted to the next Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and to be considered at the seventh session of the Permanent Forum.
The Permanent Forum calls on the entities of the United Nations system to collaborate with indigenous peoples in designing and implementing early warning systems to better ensure peace, security and good governance in their lands. That could include greater coordination between the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and indigenous peoples through their representative institutions.
The Forum recommends the designation of focal points in the United Nations country teams or the country offices of United Nations agencies, funds and programs, with a mandate to deal with indigenous issues, inter alia, to follow-up on the implementation of recommendations of the Forum, and the objectives of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People