In regard to the rights of indigenous peoples, the Permanent Forum reiterates its long-standing position of encouraging the United Nations, its organs and specialized agencies, as well as all States, to adopt a human rights-based approach. At the international, regional and national level, the human rights of indigenous peoples are always relevant if such rights are at risk of being undermined. Human rights are indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated. They must be respected in any context specifically concerning indigenous peoples, from environment to development, to peace and security, and many other issues.
In order to fully address the fact that indigenous peoples lag behind in terms of the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, it will be necessary for UNDP to strengthen its policies to integrate human rights and indigenous peoples’ issues into all projects that affect indigenous peoples, in particular with regard to strategies and tools aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The Permanent Forum expresses appreciation to Mr. Parshuram Tamang and Mr. Yuri Boichenko for their draft questionnaire for United Nations agencies and requests the secretariat of the Permanent Forum to use the questionnaire in seeking information from agencies for its future sessions. The Permanent Forum also supports requests from States that they receive a similar questionnaire and requests the secretariat to carry through this request, in consultation with members of the Permanent Forum.
In follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals, the Permanent Forum urges Governments and agencies to quantify the number of projects and programmes that they are undertaking in response to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum. It would also be helpful if they could, when reporting, report on progress in the process of implementation of recommendations, instead of merely enumerating activities. Reports could be more analytical, not just activity-based, and should pick up on relevant recommendations from past sessions that addressed the necessary theme.
The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF recognize and respect the right of free, prior and informed consent in the preparation and implementation of its strategic policy framework on indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends: (a) using the model of engaging directly with indigenous peoples that is used by the small grants programme delivery mechanism, developed by UNDP since 1992 for implementation of projects at the local level; and (b) strengthen engagement with indigenous peoples in developing innovative tools and methodologies that are suited to and respectful of their cultures and knowledge.
The Permanent Forum urges all States to substantially increase the human and financial resources made available to all indigenous communities and schools to prevent self-harm and suicide among young people, and for holistic treatment based on cultural, spiritual and linguistic revitalization, providing healthy and positive lifestyle choices and access to traditional methods of counselling based on accurate and reliable data.
The Permanent Forum urges all Member States and United Nations agencies and country teams to initiate indigenous human rights training and education programmes in their institutions and activities, in particular the existing and emerging international jurisprudence on the human rights and standards contained in the Declaration and their application and relevance at the national and local levels.
The Permanent Forum calls upon the Economic and Social Council, including its youth forum, the high-level political forum on sustainable development, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission for Social Development, as well as other relevant United Nations forums, to include representatives of indigenous youth-led organizations in their meetings.
The Permanent Forum considers continued analysis of national reports on the Millennium Development Goals vital in order to ensure that they take into account the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples and indigenous perspectives.
The Forum recommends the full participation of indigenous peoples at the upcoming World Water Forum to be held in Mexico City in 2006, and the inclusion of indigenous rights and perspectives on water in that conference
The Permanent Forum welcomes the World Intellectual Property Organization facilitating a process, in accordance with the Declaration, to engage with indigenous peoples on matters including intellectual property, genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.