The Permanent Forum welcomes the consideration of the empowerment of indigenous women as the focus area of the Commission on the Status of Women at its sixty-first session and urges Governments to report on efforts made to fully implement Commission resolution 49/7, entitled “Indigenous women: beyond the 10-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”, and its resolution 56/4, entitled “Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication”.
The Permanent Forum learned of the threat posed to the health of indigenous peoples by four non-communicable diseases — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic lung disease — and their common risk factors. The Permanent Forum welcomes the organization of a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and requests that representatives of indigenous peoples be invited to contribute to and participate in the meeting, as well as the interactive hearings with civil society scheduled for June 2011.
The Permanent Forum requests United Nations entities, in particular those working on land tenure and changes in land use, to advance the research on securing the land and territorial rights of indigenous peoples, taking into account the negative impacts of, inter alia, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic and regional conflicts.
The Permanent Forum appreciates the steps taken by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNFPA and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues for the organization of an international workshop on indigenous peoples and HIV/AIDS, and calls on Member States and United Nations entities to contribute to the workshop.
The Permanent Forum recommends that WHO and FAO, together with the Inter‑agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, promote dialogue forums at the national and regional levels between government ministries and indigenous peoples to establish culturally relevant strategies for addressing the epidemiological risks and the food and environmental crises resulting from the pandemic, as well as for addressing access to justice and the safeguarding of indigenous peoples’ territorial control.
The Forum encourages all United Nations entities to mainstream indigenous gender issues and to integrate the special needs and concerns of indigenous women into their programmes and policies by taking the following steps:
a. Compiling and integrating disaggregated data (both qualitative and quantitative in nature and taking into account local and regional cultural/social/ economic differences) on indigenous women’s issues in their own annual reports. The Forum commends those who have already begun to address this issue of lack of relevant data;
b. Integrating indigenous experts on indigenous women’s issues in their programming staff;
c. Appointing indigenous focal points on indigenous women’s issues within wider gender portfolios;
d. Planning special events centred on the theme "Indigenous men" and integrating that theme in their documentation and outreach activities (web site, reports etc.);
e. Increasing outreach to indigenous women’s organizations worldwide;
f. Increasing the outreach and information flow to and from the academic community, including indigenous educational institutions, on indigenous women’s issues.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the initiative of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) regional office in Mexico with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the creation of a regional inter-agency group on indigenous women, and recommends continuing support for indigenous women's issues and replication of the experience in other regions of the world
The Permanent Forum requests WHO, in cooperation with indigenous health providers, to conduct a study on the prevalence and causes of suicide among indigenous youth and on efforts being made, including culture-based approaches, to prevent suicide and promote mental health and wellness. The Forum recommends that the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues and WHO organize an expert group meeting to review policies and best practices with regard to engaging indigenous youth on the prevention of suicide.
The Permanent Forum is concerned that HIV acquisition rates are higher in Indigenous communities than in the general population. The Permanent Forum encourages the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to continue its focus on Indigenous Peoples.
The Forum urges WHO, in implementing the outlined global strategy on health of marginalized ethnic populations, to gather data and extend programme services to indigenous peoples based on criteria relating to ethnicity, cultural or tribal affiliation and language.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the killings, violence and harassment targeted at indigenous human rights defenders, which are also frequently committed with impunity. The Permanent Forum is concerned that, despite international condemnation, these criminal acts of violence persist, especially in a small number of countries in South and Central America, Africa and Asia.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States, United Nations agencies, financial institutions and donors promote and support development processes led and carried out by indigenous women’s organizations, in accordance with articles 3 and 32 of the Declaration, for instance, leadership and capacity-building schools and the creation of funds managed by indigenous women.