The Permanent Forum urges States to recognize indigenous peoples’ customary laws on genetic resources and traditional knowledge and to consider the development of sui generis systems based on such customary laws, as appropriate, for the protection of traditional knowledge and access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
The gaps and challenges facing IFAD in terms of its commitment to indigenous peoples’ issues include the mainstreaming of the new institutional policy on engaging with indigenous peoples at all levels of the organization globally, regionally and nationally. The Permanent Forum recommends that institutional mechanisms be established so as to secure the process of mainstreaming within the agency.