Recalling the recommendation contained in the report of its fifteenth session (E/2016/43-E/C.19/2016/11, para. 52), the Permanent Forum urges States to take measures for settlement, protection and security in post-conflict areas and for the construction of durable and lasting peace, promoting the full and effective inclusion of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, in any initiative for peace and reconciliation. The Forum also recommends that the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and indigenous peoples, including women and young people, consider indigenous peoples’ traditional conflict resolution systems for achieving durable and lasting peace.
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 calls upon the member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to recognize the collective rights of indigenous peoples, and calls on ASEAN to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are integrated into the development process of the ASEAN charter.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Plurinational State of Bolivia should consider implementing the resolutions of the National Agrarian Reform Institute regarding the revocation of land titles on grounds of servitude in all matters affecting not only the freedom of individuals, but also the recovery of land for communities, thereby preventing legal proceedings from stalling a reform process that defends, promotes and protects human rights.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the fact that the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, is undertaking preparations for the World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature to be convened during the upcoming World Conservation Congress, which will be held in Marseille, France, in September 2021. The summit is aimed at providing an opportunity to highlight and exchange information about the contributions of indigenous peoples to sustaining biodiversity, combating climate change and promoting sustainable development. The Forum recommends that Member States, international organizations and NGOs support the participation of indigenous peoples in the summit. The Forum invites the International Union for Conservation of Nature to share the outcomes of the summit at the Forum’s twenty-first session in 2022.
The Permanent Forum reiterates the regrets that it expressed at its twenty-first session regarding the very high and inhumane incarceration rates of Indigenous Peoples globally, which contribute to poor health, poverty and early and preventable deaths. The Permanent Forum repeats its previous recommendation to the Unit ed States of America on the grating of clemency to Leonard Peltier. Owing to his age and poor health, his release is a humanitarian imperative.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the harm that the recent decision of the European Parliament regarding the seal product import ban may cause Inuit in the Arctic, and calls upon the European Union to rescind this import ban and, failing that, to enter into direct and meaningful dialogue with the Inuit Circumpolar Council to discuss ways of moving forward. Furthermore, the European Union must make decisions that affect both European and non-European indigenous peoples taking into account their right to free, prior and informed consent.
The Permanent Forum calls upon the Government of the United Republic of
Tanzania to immediately cease efforts to evict the Maasai people from the
Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
The Forum recommends to the Economic and Social Council that the United Nations system guarantee the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in appropriate processes and environmental conventions, such as those on desertification, wetlands and climate change.
Acknowledging the normative work of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Permanent Forum recommends that Member States and WIPO ensure protection against the misappropriation of the intellectual property of indigenous peoples. Member States must also enact laws and adopt policies and mechanisms to protect indigenous peoples’ intellectual property from misappropriation, including the wrongful use of their cultural heritage and traditional knowledge (including traditional knowledge of nature) and traditional cultural expressions (such as oral traditions, rites, literatures, graphic designs, textile designs, traditional sports and games, and visual and performing arts) and the manifestation of indigenous science and technology (including human and genetic resources, seeds and medicines).