The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) for its training programme established to enhance the conflict prevention and peacebuilding capacities of indigenous peoples’ representatives, which has provided outstanding training for 270 indigenous representatives since 2000, and recommends that this important programme be supported henceforth through the regular budget of the United Nations.
The Permanent Forum recommends that UNDP and other United Nations agencies establish a special programme for indigenous professionals that will serve as an entry point inclusion of these professionals as UNDP staff. This will significantly enrich diversity in human development views and knowledge within the organization.
The Permanent Forum regrets the lack of progress in enhancing participation by indigenous peoples at the World Intellectual Property Organization and reiterates previous requests that that Organization adopt a legally binding document to protect the traditional knowledge and intellectual property of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum commends the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean for starting a regional initiative building on the Programme’s experience in Asia. The Forum recommends that the initiative be consolidated and that the Regional Bureau implement a regional programme to ensure cross-fertilization of good practices among countries and coherent policy approaches. The Forum encourages the Regional Bureau to strengthen its capacity and, together with the Inter-Agency Support Group, looks forward to supporting those efforts through specialized training workshops for United Nations country teams.
The Permanent Forum calls on Member States, UNDP and other relevant organizations to effectively involve indigenous peoples in the review processes of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals at the national and local levels and to ensure that disaggregated data on how the Goals are achieved in indigenous peoples territories be included.
The Permanent Forum encourages Member States with bilateral development agencies to enact, in accordance with the Declaration, policies that ensure the inclusion of indigenous peoples as partners in the development process, with a meaningful role in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all projects that affect their territories, rights and livelihoods