The Permanent Forum reiterates its call to all Member States, intergovernmental organizations, the bodies and organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the Inter-Agency Support Group, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to cooperate fully with the preparatory processes and the World Conference.
The Permanent Forum recommends that international financial institutions unequivocally acknowledge the collective right of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources in their safeguard policies and in all development project contexts (not merely in exceptional circumstances). Banks should not support any projects that affect indigenous peoples without prior recognition of and effective guarantees for their collective rights to own, control and manage their lands, territories and resources.
The Permanent Forum urges the funds, programmes and specialized agencies to have a special focus on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the system-wide action plan in a few designated countries in 2017 and 2018 and led by the United Nations resident coordinators. In selecting those countries for joint action, special attention should be given to countries that already are under focus, such as those that are carrying out voluntary national reviews for the high-level political forum on sustainable development, those that are under review by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, those that are in the preparatory phases for a new United Nations Development Assistance Framework, or those in which a dialogue process between the State and the indigenous peoples is taking place.
The Permanent Forum also appreciates the work of FAO, in collaboration with the Forum, on including the issues of indigenous peoples in the Committee on World Food Security and recommends that FAO continue to collaborate with the Forum to open up spaces for dialogue and participation in other technical committees, such as those on forestry, fisheries and agriculture.
The Permanent Forum acknowledges the project of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), entitled “Linking indigenous peoples with regional development”, which involves indigenous leaders and communities in Australia, Canada and Sweden, and encourages OECD and its member States to expand the project.
The Permanent Forum further urges resident coordinators to prepare their United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks to support the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in strategic plans for their economic recovery. Resident coordinators are invited to provide an update to future sessions of the Permanent Forum through the Development Coordination Office on how the strategic recovery plans were developed and implemented.
The Permanent Forum notes the mission to Bolivia and Paraguay and thanks the Governments of both countries for their invitations. This mission came about following the Forum’s recommendation regarding the situation of forced labour of Guarani communities at its seventh session. The Permanent Forum welcomes the mission as a good practice and decides to publish the reports of the mission as official documents. The Forum urges United Nations country teams to follow up the recommendations of these reports and suggests to the relevant Governments that they report on the implementation of these recommendations at the ninth session of the Forum in 2010.
The Permanent Forum also welcomes the recent adoption of the United Nations Development Group guidelines for indigenous peoples’ issues, which will bring the United Nations normative framework on indigenous peoples to the field level and contribute to the implementation of the goals and objectives of the Decade and of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum encourages the United Nations system to support the Guidelines with a programme of action and calls upon the donor community to provide resources to that effect. The Forum also calls upon the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues to review and revise the Guidelines in light of the adoption of the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations agencies review their policies, which presently allow them to assist only indigenous peoples in developing countries, and to urgently revise such policies to ensure that all indigenous peoples, in both developed and developing countries, have access to resources, technical assistance and other support from all United Nations agencies and funds.
With a view to strengthening collaboration during the intersessional period, and further developing expert recommendations to member organizations of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues, the Forum decides to increase visits by its members to these entities to carry out an in-depth analysis of the programs, activities and operations at the international, regional and national levels
The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision 2009/250 of the Economic and Social Council on a proposed amendment to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, related to the traditional use of the coca leaf. The Forum recommends that Member States support this initiative, taking into account articles 11, 24 and 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In order to enhance its capacity, first-hand understanding and leadership in the area of indigenous peoples’ issues, the Permanent Forum strongly recommends that UNDP establish training programmes similar to the Leadership Development Programme and junior professional programmes focused on attracting indigenous professionals or incorporate an indigenous component in existing programmes.