The Permanent Forum affirms that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will be its legal framework. The Permanent Forum will therefore ensure that the Declaration is integrated in its own recommendations on the seven substantive mandated areas — economic and social development, environment, health, education, culture, human rights and the implementation of the Declaration — as well as in the Forum’s work under the special theme for each session and in its ongoing themes and priorities.
The Permanent Forum recommends that relevant States with indigenous peoples invite the Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples to undertake country visits. The Special Rapporteur should give priority to invitations from those countries where indigenous peoples have expressed concerns about their capacity to fully enjoy and freely exercise their human rights.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues welcomes the proposal made by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the report on its third session, which encourages OHCHR to hold an international expert seminar on truth and reconciliation processes. This proposal of the Expert Mechanism recognizes the importance of national truth and reconciliation processes for improving relations between States and indigenous peoples and for facilitating strengthened recognition and implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum notes the progress made by the UNDP Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development and the ILO Programme to Promote ILO Convention No. 169 (PRO-169) projects in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. The Forum welcomes the decision by UNDP to establish a similar programme in Latin America and calls on UNDP to expand its activities in this manner in Africa.