The Permanent Forum calls upon Member States to support cross-border cultural communications and initiatives between indigenous peoples of the region to foster their common languages, heritage and traditional knowledge.
The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Member States that have already submitted information to it over the years, and encourages all States to submit substantive information on measures taken to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the work of the Government of Namibia in the development and validation of the white paper on the rights of indigenous peoples, developed with the support of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Forum encourages the Government to take measures to ensure that the white paper is approved and effectively implemented, in cooperation with indigenous peoples in Namibia. Furthermore, the Forum encourages other States, in particular African States, to consider similar measures, consistent with the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum notes that indigenous youth in the region are often forced to leave their home and lands to receive an education, which can pose an obstacle to the right to education. The Permanent Forum urges States in Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia to take measures to ensure the enjoyment of the right to education by indigenous youth. The Permanent Forum encourages States of the region to facilitate the development of indigenous peoples’ self-administration, the development of their inner potential and human resources, forming parliaments following the example of the Sami people; and decent representation of the small-numbered indigenous peoples in the bodies of legislative and executive power on all levels.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the killings, violence and harassment targeted at indigenous human rights defenders, which are also frequently committed with impunity. The Permanent Forum is concerned that, despite international condemnation, these criminal acts of violence persist, especially in a small number of countries in South and Central America, Africa and Asia.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States establish, where it does not already exist, a national dialogue with indigenous peoples on human rights, based on the Declaration.
The special rapporteurs, as well as other mechanisms relevant to the Commission on Human Rights, are encouraged to study the effects of armed conflict on the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, especially on women and children.
The Forum recommends strengthening the mechanisms for collaboration with United Nations agencies and Governments, and monitoring compliance with and the implementation of its recommendations made to United Nations agencies and Governments.
The Forum recommends that all human rights treaty bodies and other human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and the treaty monitoring mechanisms of ILO pay special attention to the human rights of indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women, in the discharge of their mandates. The Forum also encourages indigenous women’s organizations and other organizations working in this area to enhance their cooperation and contacts with these mechanisms.
While the concept of indigenous peoples in Africa has been conceptualized and adopted by African Union bodies, including at the Heads of State summits, there remains a need to raise awareness of indigenous peoples on the continent and for robust and effective measures, including legislative measures, to ensure recognition of and respect for their human rights. Likewise, while the rights of indigenous peoples have been supported in African courts and in decisions by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, gaps in implementation remain widespread. The Permanent Forum urges the concerned States to implement the decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including in the Endorois case; the order of provisional measures of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in the Ogiek case; and the decision of the High Court of Botswana in the case concerning the Kalahari Game Reserve. These cases are important because they contribute to the development of jurisprudence on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ensure a significant focus on refugee issues in the Pacific region, giving particular attention to the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in that region.
The Permanent Forum invites the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights
Council on the situation of human rights defenders to prepare a study on the drivers
of attacks against indigenous human rights defenders in business contexts and invites
the Special Rapporteur to share information on progress with the Permanent Forum
at its twenty-second session, to be held in 2023.