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 Forum encourages organizers of pre-sessional regional meetings of indigenous peoples to develop suggestions and recommendations for the Forum to consider and encourages its members to participate in such meetings
The Permanent Forum decides to conduct a half-day discussion during its eighth session on the subject of “Countries of the Arctic region”, with the broad participation of indigenous communities, regional administrations and institutions of local self-governance.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the President of the General Assembly take immediate steps to ensure the full, equal, direct and effective participation of indigenous peoples throughout all aspects and processes of the high-level plenary meeting/World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in order to achieve an action-oriented, concise, inclusive, constructive and comprehensive outcome that will genuinely promote the full and effective implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (art. 18).