The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people to monitor violence against indigenous women and girls in Canada, including missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, in accordance with his mandate. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum requests that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, as well as the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, address the situation of violence against indigenous women in the United States as well.
The Permanent Forum calls upon all States that have ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to develop, at national level, in partnership with indigenous peoples, benchmarks, timelines and indicators to measure progressive realization of indigenous human rights. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum supports the efforts to elaborate an optional protocol to allow for the submission of complaints under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Permanent Forum recalls and stresses its earlier recommendation that the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recognize the human rights of indigenous peoples in the ASEAN region and establish a working group on indigenous peoples. In addition, the Forum urges the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to establish a human rights commission and a working group on indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to respect the right of indigenous nations to determine their own membership, in accordance with article 33 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum calls on States to consult with indigenous peoples in a manner that fully respects their obligations under the Declaration and fully responds to the goals, needs and rights of indigenous peoples in the development and design of relevant legislation.