Recalling the recommendation contained in the report of its fifteenth session (E/2016/43-E/C.19/2016/11, para. 52), the Permanent Forum urges States to take measures for settlement, protection and security in post-conflict areas and for the construction of durable and lasting peace, promoting the full and effective inclusion of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, in any initiative for peace and reconciliation. The Forum also recommends that the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and indigenous peoples, including women and young people, consider indigenous peoples’ traditional conflict resolution systems for achieving durable and lasting peace.
Since the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, some Governments have taken measures to incorporate into their national or domestic legislation, recognition of and respect for the human rights of indigenous peoples. However, in most regions of the world, implementation of the Declaration remains a big challenge. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues welcomes the reports of States and United Nations agencies on respective initiatives to implement the Declaration, but draws attention to the serious implementation gaps.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Saramaka People vs. Suriname (28 November 2007), which aptly applies the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Permanent Forum urges the Working Group of the Organization of American States, which is elaborating the draft American declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, to consider the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the minimum standard.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States to include indigenous peoples’ rights in the outcomes of the 2019 Climate Summit called for by the Secretary- General, which will be held on 23 September 2019. The Forum also recommends that States, the United Nations system, indigenous peoples’ organizations and other partners secure funding to ensure the adequate participation of indigenous peoples at the Summit and at the preparatory meetings.
Following the results of the discussion under the special theme "Indigenous children and youth" and in the light of article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Forum recommends that the Committee on the Rights of the Child request States parties to the Convention to include in their reports information pertaining to the situation of indigenous children under all relevant provisions of the Convention.
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.
Include relevant information on the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women by engaging indigenous organizations in the reporting process to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other relevant human rights bodies, encouraging indigenous women through their organizations to become involved in the reporting process to the Committee
The Permanent Forum takes note of the Deatnu (Tana/Teno) river fishing agreement between the Governments of Finland and Norway that was adopted by their respective Parliaments in March 2017. The Sami Parliaments of Finland and Norway have informed the Forum that the agreement was adopted without the free, prior and informed consent of the Sami. The Forum requests the Governments of Finland and Norway to renegotiate the agreement with the full and effective participation of Sami rights holders.
The Permanent Forum urges all Member States and United Nations agencies and country teams to initiate indigenous human rights training and education programmes in their institutions and activities, in particular the existing and emerging international jurisprudence on the human rights and standards contained in the Declaration and their application and relevance at the national and local levels.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the work of the Government of Bangladesh with United Nations country offices to support peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Permanent Forum further welcomes the ongoing study on the status of implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord of 1997 and invites the Government of Bangladesh, with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, to report on the results of the study at the twenty-second session of the Permanent Forum, setting a timeframe for its full implementation. The Permanent Forum also calls upon the Government of Bangladesh to continue to address all forms of violence, including enforced disappearances, and sexual violence against women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts committed by law enforcement agencies.
The Permanent Forum is concerned that the ruling of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Ogiek community in the Mau forest in Kenya has still not been implemented and calls on the Government of Kenya to urgently implement a sustainable system of equitable land tenure to prevent any further forced evictions; publish without delay the recommendations of the task force to advise the Government on the implementation of the decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in respect of the rights of the Ogiek community of Mau; enhance the participation of indigenous communities in the sustainable management of forests; and comply with the decision of the Court.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation to ILO to accommodate and guarantee the direct participation of indigenous peoples’ organizations in ILO procedures, in particular those relating to compliance with the ILO Convention concerning the Protection and Integration of Indigenous and Other Tribal and Semi-Tribal Populations in Independent Countries (Convention No. 107) and the ILO Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (Convention No. 169) and their corresponding supervisory mechanisms. The Forum reiterates its call upon Member States to accede to the ILO Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (Convention No. 169).