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 urges Member States to include indigenous peoples’ rights in the outcomes of the 2019 Climate Summit called for by the Secretary- General, which will be held on 23 September 2019. The Forum also recommends that States, the United Nations system, indigenous peoples’ organizations and other partners secure funding to ensure the adequate participation of indigenous peoples at the Summit and at the preparatory meetings.
In accordance with articles 20 and 21 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum urges States to develop legislation, policies and programmes supporting traditional livelihoods with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples. In particular, the Forum urges the Government of Finland to renew the Reindeer Herding Act with the full and effective participation of the Sami people
The Permanent Forum recognizes the role of indigenous elders in advancing the rights of indigenous peoples at all levels. The Forum invites indigenous elders from all regions to establish an advisory council of elders to assist the Forum and participating delegations, as requested.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the study entitled “Free, prior and informed consent: a human rights-based approach” (A/HRC/39/62), prepared by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It encourages Member States, United Nations entities, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, regional development banks, the private sector, civil society organizations and other stakeholders, to use the study as guidance for understanding the principle of free, prior and informed consent when working on issues of concern to indigenous peoples. The Forum also encourages indigenous peoples to use the study to guide the development of their own community protocols on free, prior and informed consent for engaging with these stakeholders.
The Permanent Forum expresses concern that indigenous peoples’ participation is insufficient and traditional knowledge not respected in the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Forum invites the conference organizers to ensure the participation of indigenous peoples through the establishment of an indigenous peoples’ advisory committee, in its third session, in August 2019, and fourth session, in the first half of 2020.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the growing interest in participation in the Forum’s sessions among Africa’s indigenous peoples’ representatives, States, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and academic institutions working in Africa. The Forum requests that the United Nations system and other donors scale up their support for the participation of indigenous peoples of Africa in the Forum’s annual sessions.
The Permanent Forum acknowledges the establishment by the World Bank of an inclusive forum for indigenous peoples to strengthen the Bank’s engagement with indigenous peoples, which should assist the Bank in implementing a human rights-based approach to development. The Forum also calls upon the Bank, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, to develop detailed guidance on the proper implementation, review and monitoring of processes on free, prior and informed consent and to ensure that its projects protect and enhance customary land tenure systems in the implementation of Environmental and Social Standard 7 and the Environmental and Social Framework approved by the World Bank in 2016.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States to consider the expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples to support grantees who have effective initiatives to implement recommendations of United Nations human rights mechanisms; the participation of indigenous peoples in the Forum on Business and Human Rights; and the participation of indigenous peoples in the pre-sessions of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.
Building on the recommendation contained in paragraph 16 of its report on its sixteenth session (E/2017/43-E/C.19/2017/11), the Permanent Forum strongly encourages United Nations resident coordinators and country teams to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and young people, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and country programme action plans.