The Permanent Forum recommends that States take effective measures to halt land alienation in indigenous territories, for example, through a moratorium on the sale and registration of land, including the granting of land and other concessions in areas occupied by indigenous peoples, and also to assist indigenous communities, where appropriate, to register as legal entities.
The Permanent Forum strongly urges the General Assembly to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges the international community to pay particular attention to the situation of the Batwa peoples, in particular Batwa women, and to support the inclusion of the San people and other indigenous groups in the national census. The Permanent Forum urges African States and their international development partners to review the poverty reduction strategy papers and other frameworks for integrating the specificities of such indigenous peoples as the Batwa, Pygmies, Touaregue, Amazigh, Khoisan and other hunter-gatherers or nomadic peoples in their countries, both in Central and in Southern Africa.
The Permanent Forum takes note of the concerns expressed by the African Indigenous Peoples Caucus on the announcement by the World Bank in February 2014 of its intention to map Africa’s mineral resources by using satellites and airborne mineral surveys. The Forum calls upon the World Bank, African Governments, investor Governments and the private sector to disclose information about the “billion-dollar map” project, prior to any intervention and in a transparent manner, and requests that commitments to international norms and standards in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples be recognized and respected. The Forum also recommends that the World Bank involve indigenous peoples’ representatives in the mapping process and that indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent be respected, consistent with articles 19 and 41 of the Declaration.
The Forum urges the meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies and the meeting of the special rapporteurs and other mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights organized by the Office of the High Commissioner to place indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, on their agenda and invite the Forum to participate.
The Forum calls upon all those Members States which have not yet done so to consider without delay ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and International Labour Organization Convention No. 169
The Permanent Forum recommends that relevant States recognize indigenous peoples’ right to prior, free and informed consent and provide support mechanisms for involuntarily displaced indigenous peoples to be able to return to their original communities, including appropriate forms of repatriation, compensation and restitution and provision for the sustainable livelihoods of those peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that UNFPA continue its work in support of the participation of indigenous women in regional and national consultations, including training and other capacity-building programmes
The Forum recommends that African States, United Nations agencies and academic institutions undertake studies on the impact of the doctrine of discovery on indigenous peoples of Africa, with a view to creating understanding and awareness.
The Permanent Forum calls upon States to ensure that national policies regarding indigenous pastoralism and hunter-gatherers comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Secretary-General provide adequate human and financial resources for the purpose of meeting the requirements of articles 41 and 42 of the Declaration as they apply to the Permanent Forum.
The Forum welcomes the participation and perspective of indigenous women and girls with disabilities, recognizes the distinct vulnerability and marginalization that such indigenous individuals encounter as members of an indigenous group, and encourages United Nations agencies, and Governments and organizations, to include their views.