During its tenth session, the Permanent Forum emphasized that redefining the relationship between indigenous peoples and the State as an important way to understand the doctrine of discovery and a way to develop a vision of the future for reconciliation, peace and justice. To that end, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a strong human rights framework and standards for the redress of such false doctrines, notably in articles 3, 28 and 37. The Permanent Forum encourages the conduct of the processes of reconciliation “in accordance with the principles of justice, democracy, and respect for human rights, equality, non-discrimination, good governance and good faith”.
The Permanent Forum recommends to Member States that the development agenda beyond 2015 adopt a human rights-based approach to development that takes into account issues of equity and sustainability and that incorporates an indigenous holistic concept of development with culture and identity. The Forum also recommends that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples constitute the normative framework of this work.
The Permanent Forum strongly urges the General Assembly to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Businesses, in their human rights due diligence processes, should meaningfully engage with indigenous peoples as rights holders in business decisions and outcomes affecting them. In that regard, free, prior and informed consent should be understood as their right to give or withhold consent.
The Permanent Forum encourages the African Governments and the intergovernmental agencies to intensify dialogue among themselves under the supervision of the African Union, more precisely within the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, with special emphasis on poverty eradication based on the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples.
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 urges developed countries to adopt national processes to implement the Goals with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples within those countries.
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.