Recalling articles 3–4, 8, 18, 25–26 and 32 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum urges African States to promote, recognize and protect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources through the development of mechanisms to ensure the legal recognition of land and resource rights, the resolution of land disputes, fair and equitable redress, and the creation of permanent dialogue frameworks to facilitate political participation and representation of indigenous peoples in decision-making.
United Nations entities should ensure the inclusion, equality and equity of Indigenous Peoples in humanitarian responses
The Permanent Forum calls upon the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Readiness Fund and the locally led Adaptation Fund, among others, to establish a mechanism for enhanced direct access for Indigenous Peoples by limiting intermediary organizations, with flexible access and transparent criteria that correspond to the needs of Indigenous Peoples.
The intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, should guarantee the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples in all negotiations; their rights under the Declaration should be respected, and their knowledge systems incorporated into the instrument.
The Permanent Forum encourages United Nations entities that have platforms for Indigenous Peoples to continue to contribute to the deliberations of the Forum, including through the submission of conference room papers to further update the Forum. The Forum reiterates the importance of the sustained and consistent engagement of Indigenous Peoples at every stage of decision-making across the United Nations.
The Permanent Forum urges the Secretary-General to convene, in consultation with the Forum and before its eighteenth session, regional consultations in each of the seven indigenous regions to discuss the modalities for the participation of indigenous people at the United Nations, including how the participation of indigenous representatives can be enhanced. The Forum urges Member States to support the organization of these regional consultations.
The Permanent Forum emphasizes the urgent need to fully implement the Declaration across the United Nations. Key recommendations include adopting the Indigenous determinants of health evaluation instrument, increasing Indigenous Peoples’ participation in decision-making and eliminating structural barriers, violence and discrimination, in particular against Indigenous two-spirit peoples. All United Nations reports, mechanisms and processes must fully reflect the experiences and rights of Indigenous two-spirit peoples. Furthermore, the Forum calls for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and self-determination to be recognized in and integrated into national legislation, policies and governance.
Member States must take urgent measures to guarantee adequate and effective participation by indigenous peoples in the design and implementation of national plans for the transition to clean and green energy. Where States have already begun the development of such plans without the participation of indigenous peoples, they must take remedial action.
The Permanent Forum urges all United Nations entities to institutionalize engagement with Indigenous Peoples in high-level events. The Forum also encourages the Conferences of the Parties to the Rio conventions to invite the Forum to participate in negotiations in its capacity as an advisory body within the United Nations system.
The Forum welcomes the work of the Government of Bangladesh to support peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Forum calls upon the Government to prioritize the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord of 1997 and to assess the implementation status of the Accord through full, meaningful and effective participation of the Accord signatory party, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, Chittagong Hill Tracts regional institutions and traditional governing bodies.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the practical difficulties of organizing its sessions in New York due to barriers to participation faced by Indigenous Peoples. In line with Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/22, it will consider alternate venues.
As a matter of indigenous human rights and consistent with article 18 of the United Nations Declaration, previous Permanent Forum recommendations and the outcome document of the World Conference, with particular consideration of paragraph 33, the right to participate in decision-making is highly relevant to fast-approaching and pivotal multilateral negotiations. In this regard, the Forum urgently requests all States, United Nations agencies and high-level representatives of the United Nations system to ensure the direct participation of indigenous peoples in the multilateral negotiations referred to below. The Forum also requests that all those actors advocate and ensure that there is explicit reference to indigenous peoples and their distinct human rights and status throughout the processes relating to:
(a) The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, to be held from 25 to 27 September 2015;
(b) The high-level event on climate change, to be held in New York on
29 June 2015, and the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, to be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015;
(c) The third International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Addis Ababa from 13 to 16 July 2015.
