The Permanent Forum welcomes the “International Conference on Biological and Cultural Diversity: Diversity for Development and Development for Diversity” (8-10 June 2010, Montreal, Canada) as a useful dialogue on the interface of diversities and development and notes its goal to consider a future collaborative programme of work between the Secretariat of the Conference on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), other relevant agencies, including the Forum and relevant indigenous organizations and non-governmental organizations, and decides to send the Chair of the Forum to report on the outcomes of the ninth session of the Permanent Forum regarding the theme.
The Permanent Forum expresses its concern about the continuing and long-term negative impacts of large dams on indigenous peoples in many parts of the world. Many large dams continue to be planned for construction on indigenous lands. The Permanent Forum supports the implementation of the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams contained in its report Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-making. The implementation of these recommendations must be in accordance with the provisions set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum calls on the Inter-American Development Bank to establish an advisory council of indigenous peoples to implement its strategy on indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum decides to reappoint Victoria Tauli-Corpuz as Special Rapporteur to complete a study on the impacts of the global crisis on indigenous peoples by 31 December 2010 and submit it to the Permanent Forum at its tenth session, in 2011.
The Permanent Forum decides that Forum members Lars-Anders Baer, Bartolomé Clavero Salvador, Michael Dodson and Carsten Smith shall prepare a paper that responds to the comments made by certain Member States on the annex to the report of the Permanent Forum on its eighth session (E/2009/43) at the general segment of the substantive session of the Economic and Social Council, in July 2009.
The Permanent Forum encourages all United Nations agencies that have not yet developed a policy on engaging with indigenous peoples to follow the example of sister agencies in order to ensure that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adequately reflected in all United Nations programmes.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States, relevant United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations and bilateral donors support strategies for intercultural prevention and eradication of violence against women that are designed and driven by indigenous women’s organizations and that consider indigenous approaches to address gender-based violence.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States, United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations and bilateral donors support the promotion and full and effective participation of indigenous women in decision-making spheres at all levels, including in administration and civil service, government action, government bodies, political parties, the judiciary and trade unions and that leadership and training processes be considered as pillars for such participation.
Given the fact that the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as other forms of violence, including trafficking and domestic violence, has gained increasing public attention in Canada, the Permanent Forum urges the Government of Canada to provide more emergency shelters serving indigenous women, as well as better victim services, and specific programmes to assist indigenous women who have been trafficked.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States, United Nations agencies, financial institutions and donors promote and support development processes led and carried out by indigenous women’s organizations, in accordance with articles 3 and 32 of the Declaration, for instance, leadership and capacity-building schools and the creation of funds managed by indigenous women.
The Permanent Forum recommends that forests that have been taken by States from indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent in the name of conservation policies be restored immediately.
The Permanent Forum notes with concern the slow progress made in the negotiations on the final protocol on access and benefit-sharing. The Permanent Forum reiterates its requests to the parties to the Convention to take into account the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the negotiation, adoption and implementation of the access and benefit-sharing protocol.