Youth employment poverty-reduction strategies of States and the intergovernmental system should especially focus on indigenous youth, women and men, who are among the most marginalized within the current economic system. Addressing the needs of indigenous youth will also help to achieve Millennium Development Goal 3 and address pressures and problems arising from mass rural-to-urban migration
The Forum welcomes the establishment of the indigenous fellowship programme in its secretariat, and calls upon Governments, foundations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to give generously to the Trust Fund of the Secretary-General in support of the Forum, and to earmark their donations for the fellowship programme.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the activities carried out by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean through its Centre for Latin American Demography — Population Division, in particular its adoption of a rights-based approach that considers indigenous peoples’ individual and collective rights included in the 2006 edition of the Social Panorama. The Forum recommends that the Commission:(a)Increase the number of sociodemographic studies of indigenous peoples, especially those addressing urbanization and migration and their effects on indigenous peoples;(b)Continue to develop a system of sociodemographic indicators on the indigenous peoples of Latin America, in cooperation with the Fondo Indígena, indigenous peoples’ organizations and United Nations agencies;(c)Support production of information by countries on indigenous peoples with reference to access to, quality and cultural relevance of social services, guaranteeing the full participation of indigenous peoples in this process;(d)Organize an expert group meeting to prepare operative recommendations to improve the identification of indigenous peoples in the upcoming 2010 round of censuses and other data sources, ensuring the full participation of indigenous peoples in this process;(e)Produce technical studies and recommendations to States on human rights-based public policies on indigenous peoples in cooperation with the specialized agencies of the United Nations.
United Nations agencies should provide incentives and funding opportunities for indigenous youth organizations to initiate non-formal education activities targeting girls and women. Where initiatives already exist, they should develop replication strategies and scale up existing initiatives
The Forum, taking into account that indigenous children, youth and women are more vulnerable and are often physically and psychologically mistreated, and that children represent the future of indigenous peoples, recommends that the Council support the declaration of an international day or an international year of the indigenous child, to be celebrated with awareness-raising activities to honour the cultural identity of indigenous peoples.
The Forum urges States and the United Nations agencies to support the attendance and participation of indigenous youth at future sessions of the Permanent Forum
The Permanent Forum recommends that States support the Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues as an important contribution to the implementation of the goal and objectives of the Decade.
Promote and support the utilization of local indigenous languages and, where no written languages exist, employ local indigenous people (as translators/interpreters as well as advisers) to assist in the collection process
The Permanent Forum recommends that the secretariat of the Permanent Forum, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, UNDP and the United Nations Programme on Youth cooperate closely with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus to conduct and support regional and international human rights training programmes to build the capacity and advocacy skills of indigenous youth.
The Permanent Forum takes notes of the recent publication of the adolescent-friendly version of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by UNICEF, the Forum and the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. The Forum recommends that UNICEF, Member States and indigenous peoples translate this publication into all languages, in particular indigenous languages. The Forum also recommends that Member States, indigenous peoples and others use this publication in the curricula of studies of indigenous and non-indigenous youth.
The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF design, in partnership with other relevant United Nations agencies, a protocol for emergency situations resulting from natural disasters to ensure that, in cases of emergency, there are no violations of the human rights of indigenous peoples, especially indigenous youth, children and women, owing to forced relocation.
The Permanent Forum commends UNFPA for its financial and technical support for strengthening national capacity for censuses, surveys and needs assessments, and for its focus on the 2010 round of censuses, the results of which will be critical for assessing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The Permanent Forum recommends that UNFPA vigorously promote the inclusion of indigenous peoples in the 2010 round of censuses, particularly in cases where Governments may seek to avoid questions pertaining to indigenous peoples.