Noting the challenge of securing the constructive participation of indigenous peoples’ organizations in its sessions and ongoing work and of developing an active partnership between civil society, Governments and the United Nations system, the Forum recommends that a workshop be convened to develop innovative working methods for future sessions of the Forum, including methods of disseminating information before the sessions.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States ensure access to justice for indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, through formal justice institutions, national human rights institutions and other forms of redress or recourse, all while taking into account indigenous peoples’ customary laws, institutions and processes, consistent with articles 21, 22 and 34 of the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum expresses its concern about the continuing and long-term negative impacts of large dams on indigenous peoples in many parts of the world. Many large dams continue to be planned for construction on indigenous lands. The Permanent Forum supports the implementation of the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams contained in its report Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-making. The implementation of these recommendations must be in accordance with the provisions set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the high number of indigenous children being removed from their families and placed into public social care, in particular in developed countries. In this regard, the Forum noted with satisfaction the Expert Mechanism’s engagement on the rights of the indigenous children. The report of the Expert Mechanism on the indigenous child will be discussed at its forthcoming session, in July 2021.
States, United Nations agencies, funds and programs should mobilize support for indigenous peoples who are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.
The Permanent Forum endorses the recommendations submitted on 8 May 2009 to the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants by the Indigenous Peoples Caucus to increase and ensure the formal participation of indigenous peoples in that process.