The Permanent Forum takes note of the upcoming World Congress of Protected Areas, to be held in Barcelona in October 2008. The Forum reiterates its recommendation to the 2003 World Congress of Protected Areas. The Forum requests that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples be duly considered in the deliberations and results of the World Congress on Protected Areas, and that its participating organizations address the issues of restitution and free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples for conservation activities affecting indigenous lands and territories, sacred sites and indigenous peoples’ conservation activities.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the International Finance Corporation establish a mechanism of engagement with indigenous peoples in the context of its sustainability framework, including Performance Standard 7, on indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum reiterates to the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and especially to the parties to the Nagoya Protocol, the importance of respecting and protecting indigenous peoples’ rights to genetic resources consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Consistent with the objective of “fair and equitable” benefit sharing in the Convention and Protocol, all rights based on customary use must be safeguarded and not only “established” rights. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has concluded that such kinds of distinctions would be discriminatory.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the fact that the principles and rules contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have been integrated into the new constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, which was ratified in a referendum held on 25 January 2009.
Conservation, environmental and other non-governmental organizations ensure that their forest-related programmes and policies use the human rights-based and ecosystem approach to forest conservation. This includes the integration of the implementation of the Declaration in their forest programmes.
Member States must urgently address violence against indigenous peoples, including State violence, gender-based violence, forced assimilation and forced child removals, discrimination in the justice system and other forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on gender, religion, disability, age and LGBTIQ identity. The Forum encourages the Expert Mechanism, at its earliest convenience, to engage with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and with the participation of indigenous peoples, regarding the removal of indigenous children.
The Permanent Forum urges the international community to support the peace process in Mali and establish an independent monitoring committee that, in accordance with articles 7 and 37 of the United Nations Declaration, would oversee the implementation of the peace agreement of 20 June 2015, with the effective and representative participation of the Tuareg peoples.
The Permanent Forum encourages the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Human Rights Council to continue the process of addressing rights related to treaties and agreements between indigenous peoples and the United States and Canada, including through the consideration and implementation of the recommendations resulting from the first two United Nations treaty seminars, held in 2003 and 2006, and by taking steps to hold a third seminar, as mandated by the Economic and Social Council, and urges the Expert Mechanism to advance the work on treaties.
The Permanent Forum urges the Republic of Paraguay to take urgent action to implement the resolutions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights concerning communities that are experiencing major humanitarian crises.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States develop mechanisms through which they can monitor and report on the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples, mindful of their socio-economic limitations as well as spiritual and cultural attachment to lands and waters.
The Permanent Forum urges the World Bank to work on a sustained basis with the Government of Cambodia to effectively implement the management action plan resulting from the inspection panel case for the “Forest concession management and control pilot project”, which includes the termination of all existing logging concessions and the promotion of equitable and sustainable alternatives for forest management.
The Permanent Forum considers climate change to be a driver of insecurity, exacerbating conflicts over lands, territories and resources. The Forum calls upon the Security Council to consider indigenous peoples as partners. Close consultation with indigenous peoples is required to ensure the respect of the rights of indigenous peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations.