The Permanent Forum welcomes the efforts of UNDP to endorse the political participation of indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean and its support in the preparation of the report on democracy and indigenous peoples in the region. The Forum recommends to UNDP that it extend this good practice to other regions and follow up regularly.
The Permanent Forum welcomes General Assembly resolution 65/198, by which it expanded the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations to facilitate the participation of indigenous representatives in meetings of the Human Rights Council and the human rights treaty bodies. With the large number of human rights violations that indigenous representatives bring to the Permanent Forum, it encourages indigenous representatives to take advantage of this opportunity.
The Permanent Forum notes the progress achieved by the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the implementation of a programme on electoral processes with a focus on indigenous women and youth. However, the Permanent Forum is concerned about the Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development in Asia and the Pacific, a programme that has critically contributed to promoting indigenous peoples’ issues and rights in the region. The Permanent Forum urges UNDP to maintain and strengthen this important programme.