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 operational policy of the World Bank regarding forests is under review. The Forum recommends to the Bank that it take into account the recommendations made by indigenous peoples and calls for the involvements of Forum members in the Bank’s process of review and revision.
The Permanent Forum recommends that Governments and States promote the creation of conditions for indigenous peoples that will enable them to maintain the forests in their traditional way and conserve their cultural identity, with priority accorded to indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, strengthening their capacities and highlighting the value of ancestral knowledge related to native forests. The Forum further recommends that the traditional knowledge and traditional forest management practices and governance systems of indigenous peoples for the protection and use of their forests be recognized in all forest policies and climate-related forest initiatives.
The Permanent Forum remains concerned about continuing human rights violations, including arbitrary killings and extrajudicial executions, throughout northeastern India. It echoes the call of indigenous peoples (scheduled tribes) of the region and urges India to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958, investigate alleged human rights abuses in the region and hold those responsible to account.
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.