The Permanent Forum urges all Arctic States to endorse and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum notes that the Greenland-Danish Self-Government Commission submitted its report on self-government on 6 May 2008. The main task of the Commission has been to submit draft legislation regarding a self-government arrangement for Greenland. A referendum was held in Greenland on 25 November 2008 concerning the act and the process leading up to its entry into force. The Permanent Forum welcomes the successful passage of the act through the Danish Parliament on 19 May 2009.
The Permanent Forum recognizes and commends Australia and Colombia for changing their positions by endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and calls upon the remaining States that are opposed to it, as well as those abstaining, to reverse their positions and endorse the Declaration so as to achieve full consensus.
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.
The Permanent Forum urges States, with the effective participation of indigenous peoples, to address the concomitant loss of community citizenship and human rights when indigenous peoples are forced to migrate or are displaced by violent conflicts, with a particular emphasis on indigenous women.
The Permanent Forum strongly supports the position expressed in the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference that States should take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that corporations, regulating bodies and certification bodies incorporate the rights of indigenous peoples in their quality standards, operating plans, business plans and investment plans.
In October 2008, a Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility was established by under the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. The Committee is responsible for encouraging Finnish enterprises to follow all national and international regulations and standards. Also, the Committee will act as the National Contact Point for complaints concerning the inappropriate behaviour of the enterprises within the meaning of the OECD guidelines referred to above under Recommendation 15.
The Permanent Forum calls upon those States which have granted leases, concessions and licences on indigenous peoples’ territories for projects related to logging, minerals, oil, gas and water without proper consultation and without respecting the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned to review those arrangements and to address the complaints raised by indigenous peoples in those territories.
The Permanent Forum calls upon States and corporations to fully recognize the presence and effective participation of indigenous peoples in all negotiation processes relating to the entry of extractive industries, infrastructure projects and other development projects into their communities, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, inter alia, articles 19, 23 and 32. Furthermore, the Forum calls upon all relevant actors to ensure the application of culturally relevant, gender-balanced and gender-based analysis and gender budgeting as critical elements of economic and social development, consistent with articles 21 and 44 of the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the relevant treaty bodies take into account the Declaration and urges States to include information regarding its implementation in their reports to the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Secretary-General provide adequate human and financial resources for the purpose of meeting the requirements of articles 41 and 42 of the Declaration as they apply to the Permanent Forum.