The Permanent Forum welcomes the proposal of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, to collect information on best practices in adapting statistical inquiries to the needs of indigenous peoples. The Permanent Forum looks forward to the results of this project and invites the Institute to follow up on this work with the Forum through the Forum secretariat.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the document of the Commission of the European Communities (COM (2008)), Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: The European Union and the Arctic Region delivered in Brussels on 20 November 2008 and urges the European Union to begin implementing the recommendations relevant to indigenous peoples from this document.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators provide support for the inclusion and methodological development of core indicators for indigenous peoples in the global indicator framework, in particular the inclusion of the indicator on the legal recognition of the land rights of indigenous peoples for the targets under Goals 1 and 2.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its invitation to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to adopt a general recommendation on indigenous women by 2020, in accordance with the Declaration and other international instruments. The Forum recommends that the general recommendation on indigenous women consider issues related to the individual and collective rights to equality, non-discrimination and self-determination; social and economic rights, including the rights to decent work and to land, territory and resources; the right to water and food; cultural rights; civil and political rights; and the right to live free of any form of violence.
The Permanent Forum invites the General Assembly to consider the creation of a distinct United Nations voluntary fund for indigenous youth or the earmarking of existing and future funds to increase and enhance the direct participation of indigenous youth at the United Nations. Furthermore, the Forum encourages every State Member of the United Nations to make multi-year voluntary contributions to such existing and/or future funds.
The Forum recommends inviting the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and other regional commissions to present a report of their activities concerning the situation of indigenous peoples and poverty in Latin America.
In accordance with article 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous peoples have the right to full freedom of expression, including the right to establish their own media in their own languages. The Permanent Forum is concerned that indigenous peoples of Latin America have been criminalized for the establishment of community radio stations and urges Member States to protect the rights of indigenous communicators
In the context of the implementation of the Policy on Ethnicity and Health, adopted by the executive committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2017 (CE160.R11), the Permanent Forum invites PAHO and the World Health Organization (WHO) to collaborate with health institutions and policymakers to address issues related to indigenous maternal health, including the practice of indigenous midwifery. It recommends that PAHO prepare a study on the advancements in indigenous maternal health, including best practices used by indigenous midwives and supportive organizations. The Forum invites PAHO to submit the report by 2020.
The Permanent Forum encourages resident coordinators and United Nations country teams to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and youth, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks and country programme action plans.
The Permanent Forum recalls its previous recommendations on the progress of the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord and calls upon the Government of Bangladesh to take appropriate steps in this regard on an urgent basis. In particular, the Forum urges the Government to frame rules for the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Disputes Resolution Commission and to generate ethnically disaggregated data, including for the national census of 2021.
In order to improve the implementation of its recommendations, the Permanent Forum calls upon United Nations agencies to ensure that there are systems in place to share information with and distribute information to indigenous peoples at the local level so that they have the opportunity to engage with the work of the United Nations at the country level and express their views and concerns and implement their policies. The Forum also encourages indigenous peoples’ organizations to engage actively with the United Nations system at the country level and urges United Nations resident coordinators’ offices to engage with indigenous peoples’ organizations and representatives and ensure their active participation and consultation in policy dialogues at the national level.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development of UNDP and, in particular, the pilot projects on gathering disaggregated data in the Philippines and Nepal. The Permanent Forum also recommends that the Regional Indigenous Peoples’ Programme continue this work in other countries.