The Permanent Forum has paid particular attention to the participation and representation of indigenous peoples in development processes, such as those related to the Millennium Development Goals, data collection and disaggregation, and urban indigenous peoples and migration. The Forum has recommended on numerous occasions that United Nations agencies, international financial institutions and other development actors change their paradigms and approaches to their work with indigenous peoples. This includes increased mainstreaming of indigenous peoples’ issues in their work, respect for the principle of free, prior and informed consent, recognition of collective rights, including treaty rights, and increased participation of indigenous peoples, including women, in programme design, implementation and monitoring.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States discontinue all sedentarization and other programmes that coerce indigenous peoples to forsake shifting cultivation for other modes of cultivation without their free, prior and informed consent. Alternative modes of cultivation ensure food sovereignty, livelihood security, health security, educational security and forest conservation and other safeguards.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations system conduct a separate consultation with indigenous peoples at the regional and global levels as an integral and critical part of the processes relating to the post-2015 development agenda.
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.
The Forum recommends that a world conference on indigenous peoples in the information society be organized on the occasion of the World Summit on the Information Society (10-12 December 2003), in close cooperation with interested Governments and NGOs. It is recommended that the assistance of the secretariat of the Summit be provided for the organization of such an event. The Forum recommends that a written report on indigenous peoples in the information society be addressed by the focal point of the Forum, Mr. Matias, to the preparatory committee for the Summit before 31 August 2003.
Member States, the United Nations system, bodies and funds should consider the definitions of extreme poverty by indigenous peoples and in this regard should refer to the report of the independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty (E/CN.4/2005/49). Poverty indicators based on indigenous peoples' own perception of their situation and experiences should be developed, jointly with indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges United Nations bodies and specialized agencies to implement the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.
The Permanent Forum calls upon WIPO to strengthen its efforts to reach out to indigenous peoples and to continue to provide practical assistance and capacity-strengthening for and in cooperation with indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum decides to appoint Carlos Mamani Condori, Elisa Canqui Mollo and Pavel Sulyandziga, members of the Forum, as special rapporteurs to conduct a study, without financial implications, on indigenous peoples and corporations. The study will examine the existing mechanisms and practices, review policies on indigenous peoples, examine good practices and submit a report to the Forum at its eighth session in 2009. The Forum calls upon indigenous peoples’ representatives, States, corporations, international financial institutions and the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Compact, to engage in active cooperation with the special rapporteurs.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the recognition and inclusion of indigenous peoples’ knowledge in the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to assess the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Forum supports the Platform’s approach to recognize and work with indigenous knowledge throughout its work programme, for example, recognizing the contribution of indigenous knowledge in its global assessment on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems. The Forum invites the Platform to continue to inform the Forum about the progress of its work, including at its seventeenth session.
States, United Nations agencies, funds and programs should mobilize support for indigenous peoples who are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.
The Forum reiterates its recommendations on economic and social development made at its second session, in particular those contained in chapter I, section B, paragraphs 26-28, 33-34, 36, 39 and 44 of the report.