The Permanent Forum welcomes the recent entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Forum encourages Member States to accede to the Optional Protocol and requests the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to consider the preparation of a general comment on the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that, in view of the 2015 deadline for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, Member States and the United Nations system make use of the experiences and lessons learned and capture the priorities for development and well-being of indigenous peoples and include indigenous peoples in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Goals.