The Permanent Forum notes the increasing operational activity of extractive industries and other large-scale development projects, including land grabbing, which is taking place on or near the territories of indigenous peoples in many African States, often without the involvement of indigenous peoples and without their free, prior and informed consent. The Forum recommends that African States must respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular the right of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its calls to Member States and international organizations to include Indigenous Peoples actively in policymaking forums and development agendas. This inclusion should extend to negotiations and management forums under multilateral environment agreements and other relevant platforms and processes focusing on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples and where their voices and knowledge guarantee significant contributions and outcomes for global sustainable development and the health of global ecosystems.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the United Nations Development Group guidelines on indigenous peoples’ issues, and encourages United Nations agencies to actively disseminate, promote and implement those guidelines, particularly among their country offices. In that regard, the Forum urges the Development Group to give priority to the promotion, use and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the most universal, comprehensive and fundamental instrument on indigenous peoples’ rights, and to fully reflect this in the next edition of the Group’s guidelines. The Forum also recommends that donor agencies consider providing financial assistance to implement the guidelines.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the invitation from the Government of the Russian Federation, the Governor of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region, the public chamber of the Russian Federation and the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (RAIPON) to hold an international meeting in the city of Salekhard, from 1 to 4 July 2007, dedicated to the study of experiences of interaction between indigenous peoples and the private sector, and expresses its appreciation for this invitation. The Permanent Forum also calls upon other States to follow the example of the Russian Federation.
The Permanent Forum takes note of the announcement by the World Bank concerning the establishment of an indigenous peoples advisory council. The Forum recognizes the need for dialogue and will take into consideration the proposal on the understanding that the objective of such an initiative will be to ensure the participation of indigenous peoples and that the final outcome will be full compliance of the Bank’s policies, guidelines and activities with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Forum requests international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and other regional organizations, to design special programmes for indigenous women to provide them with access to capital and microfinance programmes, taking into account the traditional mechanisms of each community.