The Permanent Forum notes that various United Nations treaty bodies have repeatedly called on the Governments of Finland and Sweden to clarify and affirm the Sámi people’s rights to land and fishing, including hunting and reindeer grazing rights. The Forum urges Finland and Sweden to take action in accordance with these recommendations, without further delay. The Permanent Forum further calls on Norway to reach an agreement with the Sámi Parliament on the draft mineral act.
The Permanent Forum calls on the entities of the United Nations system to collaborate with indigenous peoples in designing and implementing early warning systems to better ensure peace, security and good governance in their lands. That could include greater coordination between the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and indigenous peoples through their representative institutions.
The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF, when completing its strategic policy framework on indigenous peoples, include indigenous youth in the design of the policy. In addition, particular attention is needed to reflect the diversity among indigenous children and to focus on vulnerable groups, such as victims of human trafficking and child pornography, as well as groups facing manifold discrimination based on gender, disability or sexual orientation.
The Permanent Forum decides to appoint Mr. Carsten Smith and Mr. Michael Dodson, members of the Permanent Forum, as special rapporteurs to undertake a study about indigenous fishing rights in the seas.