The Permanent Forum thanks countries in Asia that have already incorporated indigenous languages into primary education and urges Member States and the United Nations system to provide funding to implement policies related to indigenous languages and ensure the incorporation of indigenous languages into the curricula at all education levels.
The Permanent Forum decides to send a member of the Forum to participate in the Conference to present the outcome of its ninth session on the question of development with culture and identity.
The Forum recommends the creation and/or consolidation of academic institutions to train indigenous leaders of the world and urges public and private universities to develop curricula on indigenous peoples. The Forum furthermore exhorts the presidents of universities to promote the review of their teaching and research programmes with the objective of valuing and recognizing indigenous and inter-cultural education, and strengthening technical cooperation and the exchange of experience for the training of indigenous
The Permanent Forum applauds the effective participation mechanisms for indigenous peoples in such mechanisms as the Convention on Biological Diversity Working Group on article 8 (j) and related provisions, and recommends that, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, such practices be extended to all critical areas of interest to indigenous peoples, such as the Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing and in particular the Working Group on Protected Areas.
The Forum recommends that the World Conservation Union Congress, to be held in November 2004 in Bangkok, endorse the recommendations on indigenous peoples and protected areas, as well as other relevant recommendations (such as on sacred sites) adopted by the Fifth World Parks Congress. It should also emphasize the need for the recognition of community conserved areas and indigenous peoples’ protected areas, the need for the full respect for indigenous peoples’ rights and the need for indigenous peoples’ free prior informed consent to be obtained before the declaration or in the management of any protected area which may affect them.