The Permanent Forum appreciates the efforts made by the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries, which comprises the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme, to inform, consult and involve indigenous peoples in United Nations activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and encourages them to further consolidate the partnership
The Permanent Forum welcomes the presence of the Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway and the side event organized by the Government of Norway, at which the Minister held an interactive dialogue with indigenous peoples and others on the Oslo-Paris Initiative on REDD-plus. The Forum recommends that the Initiative ensure the inclusion and the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and that it not remain as an initiative of Governments only. The Forum further recommends that the Initiative ensure the implementation of the safeguards contained in the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on long-term cooperative action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on its eighth session (FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/17) which stresses the need to respect the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples, noting the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the need for the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, the non-conversion of natural forests for other uses, and the conservation of biological diversity; and the need to address the drivers of deforestation and land tenure issues.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the recognition and inclusion of indigenous peoples’ knowledge in the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to assess the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Forum supports the Platform’s approach to recognize and work with indigenous knowledge throughout its work programme, for example, recognizing the contribution of indigenous knowledge in its global assessment on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems. The Forum invites the Platform to continue to inform the Forum about the progress of its work, including at its seventeenth session.
The Forum recommends that the Secretary-General, through the Economic and Social Council, prepare a report on the implementation of chapter 26 of Agenda 21 and other relevant chapters, such as chapter 36 and 15, that focus on how the Commission on Sustainable Development, in conjunction with secretariats of other environmental bodies (Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Forum on Forests, UNDP, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) etc.) are implementing those chapters for indigenous peoples in their work, and that the report be submitted to the Forum at its third session.
The Forum recommends to the Economic and Social Council that the United Nations system guarantee the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in appropriate processes and environmental conventions, such as those on desertification, wetlands and climate change.
The Permanent Forum urges its secretariat, in cooperation with the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to organize a side-event on the occasion of the fifth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as an occasion for the co-chairs of the Working Group, States parties and other interested groups to consider the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the international expert group meeting, held from 17 to 19 January 2007, on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s international regime on access and benefit-sharing and indigenous peoples’ human rights.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption of resolution 63/278, by which the General Assembly established International Mother Earth Day and embraces indigenous peoples’ and Member States’ recommendations regarding the need to promote humankind living in harmony with nature. Therefore, the Forum decides to appoint Mr Carlos Mamani Candori and Mr Bartolome Clavero, members of the Forum as Special Rapporteurs, to conduct a study, without financial implications, on its implementation, taking into account, inter alia, the consideration and recognition of Mother Earth rights and submit a report to the ninth session of the Forum in 2010.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its concern over environmental violence, in particular the pervasive impacts of such violence on indigenous women and girls. The Forum takes note with appreciation of the recommendations from the third International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on Environment and Reproductive Health, held at Columbia University in New York on 14 and 15 April 2018. The Forum recommends that members of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues and the relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council consider ways to address and incorporate the recommendations from that Symposium.
The Forum recommends that Governments conduct studies on how the diversion of rivers and creation of dams, mining and mineral extraction, energy development, the mining of groundwater and the use of aquifers for industrial and commercial purposes will affect the lives of indigenous communities prior to conducting any of these actions in order to ensure that indigenous peoples are not confronted with such problems as increasing scarcity of freshwater, the toxic contamination of indigenous peoples’ territories and the lack of access of indigenous communities and other life forms to water, including oceans.
The Permanent Forum again urges Member States to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are afforded full and effective participation in all planning and policy development to address climate change. Indigenous-led climate change policies incorporate the vital knowledge of Indigenous Peoples for land management and stewardship of natural resources while protecting health, equity, justice and sustainability. Principles of free, prior and informed consent must be followed in the development of all climate change policies and actions.
The Permanent Forum urges States responsible for major sources of pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases to be accountable by enforcing and upholding stricter global pollution regulations that will apply to polluting parties.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States that have not already done so assign environment a more important profile in strategic planning initiatives at the national level and, in particular, in e-government initiatives so that the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) for the environment is integrated into planning processes from the beginning, along with other national priorities and initiatives (disposal of ICT equipment).