The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, including nomadic peoples. Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated the plight of young women with regard to forced early marriage, female genital mutilation and lack of access to health care. The Permanent Forum calls on Member States to implement effective measures to address these challenges in their post-pandemic recovery efforts
The Permanent Forum notes with appreciation the active engagement of UNFPA with indigenous peoples in the regions of Latin America and Asia, as well as its detailed reporting on its work in these areas. The Permanent Forum invites UNFPA to continue reporting on its work and recommends that future reports deal with agency activities in all sociocultural regions or, if no relevant activities are under way in a particular region, the challenges to addressing indigenous issues in such regions.