The Permanent Forum welcomes the invitation extended by the Russian Federation to hold a United Nations expert group meeting devoted to environmental and indigenous peoples’ issues in Khabarovsk, Russian Federation, in August 2007, and invites other States to follow its good example.
Taking into account decision 22/16 of the Governing Council of UNEP, the Forum recommends that UNEP and relevant United Nations agencies and programmes hold consultations at the regional and national levels with indigenous peoples to examine this issue and prepare recommendations on possible further strengthening of the understanding of the link between environment and cultural diversity.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States, the United Nations system and private philanthropic institutions to fund activities for the implementation of the global action plan and invites UNESCO, as the lead agency for the commemoration of the International Decade, to prioritize support for projects led by indigenous peoples. Languages on the brink of extinction must be afforded particular attention.
Indigenous communities and organizations are urged to: (a) establish effective arrangements for the participation of indigenous parents and community members in decision-making regarding the planning, delivery and evaluation of education services for their children; (b) actively participate in the monitoring of progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 2; c) Improve the coordination between indigenous and teachers' organizations to assess curricula gaps and improve teacher-training modules on indigenous needs