The Permanent Forum recognizes the harm that the recent decision of the European Parliament regarding the seal product import ban may cause Inuit in the Arctic, and calls upon the European Union to rescind this import ban and, failing that, to enter into direct and meaningful dialogue with the Inuit Circumpolar Council to discuss ways of moving forward. Furthermore, the European Union must make decisions that affect both European and non-European indigenous peoples taking into account their right to free, prior and informed consent.
The Permanent Forum welcomes information from the Government of Bangladesh on progress towards the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. It calls upon Bangladesh to make further efforts towards full implementation of the Accord through constructive dialogue and cooperation with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, the three Hill District Councils and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission.
The Forum recommends that FAO develop a strategic plan for working with indigenous peoples by defining the FAO mission, vision and conceptual framework for indigenous peoples
The Permanent Forum welcomes the endorsement by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in November 2020 of a call to action to revitalize the system-wide action plan on the rights of indigenous peoples, as set out in the report entitled “Building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future with indigenous peoples: a call to action”. In the report, the Chief Executives Board called for ensuring the more systematic participation of indigenous peoples in United Nations country processes, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, and in the implementation of socioeconomic response and recovery plans and the Goals.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the specialist group on indigenous peoples, customary and environmental law and human rights within the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy of the International Union for Conservation of Nature host a series of regional meetings to discuss the development of standards for the conservation of indigenous peoples’ lands and waters by 2020, together with indigenous peoples, NGOs and other stakeholders, in consultation with the Forum, United Nations special rapporteurs and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Forum recommends that the findings of the millennium ecosystem assessment and its recommendations concerning the environment be submitted to it at its fourth session, and that the participation of indigenous peoples be taken into account by the assessment in the review of its reports, analysis and findings.
The Forum decides to hold a meeting of four of its members with the Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG) at its annual session of IASG, in 2004.
The Permanent Forum calls for heightened attention to be paid to diabetes and other non communicable diseases by WHO, PAHO and States, including at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, to be held in 2014, and calls upon these parties to discuss issues relating to indigenous health and formulate an action plan with particular focus on improving prevention and access to the care of diabetes and non-communicable diseases.
The Permanent Forum reiterates that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the normative framework for the high-level plenary meeting/World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, to be convened during the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly. The provisions of resolution 66/296 must be given the widest and most generous interpretation possible in order to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges the Government of Kenya to recognize and formally protect the land and resource rights of the Ogiek and Sengwer peoples in line with the Constitution of Kenya, the Community Land Act of 2016 and other relevant laws, before moving ahead with planned conservation efforts in the Cherangany Hills.
The Forum recommends that in order to raise further awareness of indigenous peoples and the Millennium Development Goals, the Economic and Social Council High-level Segment to be held from 29 June to 1 July 2005, and the General Assembly Summit to be held in September 2005 allow presentations of recommendations of the Forum at its fourth session on the Millennium Development Goals by the Chairperson of the Forum
Considering the bloody wars and grave conflicts that have afflicted a range of States in Africa during the last decade, the Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations agencies (IOM, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, UNFPA, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UNDP and WHO) and African States urgently convene a general meeting on health in order to evaluate the negative effects of these conflicts on the health of indigenous peoples and to find appropriate solutions to address the issue.