The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF design, in partnership with other relevant United Nations agencies, a protocol for emergency situations resulting from natural disasters to ensure that, in cases of emergency, there are no violations of the human rights of indigenous peoples, especially indigenous youth, children and women, owing to forced relocation.
The Permanent Forum is concerned about reports of UNDP entering into a strategic partnership with the oil company GeoPark, a private entity that has been accused by indigenous communities of disregarding their rights, to carry out economic development activities in Colombia without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous communities that will be affected. This partnership contradicts standard 6 (indigenous peoples) of the UNDP social and environmental standards, and the Forum urges UNDP to suspend all related partnership activities until a proper free, prior and informed consent process can be carried out.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, ILO and UNESCO convene an expert workshop in cooperation with the Permanent Forum on the situation of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation in order to develop strategies and programmes for the protection of their rights and territories and report to the Permanent Forum thereon at its next session.
Many indigenous peoples described situations where their human rights were being impacted by large-scale infrastructure projects, natural resource extraction and industrial agriculture activities in their territories without their free, prior and informed consent. The Permanent Forum received information to that effect from the Shuar, Sapara, Maasai and Ogaden peoples, among others. The Forum is concerned, in particular, by cases where it appears that the interests of investors are better protected than the rights of indigenous peoples. It reiterates that States and the private sector must respect the human rights of indigenous peoples by ensuring the effective implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Permanent Forum requests the Office of the President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly to maintain close communication with the Forum, through its secretariat, to facilitate the Forum’s contribution to the preparatory stages of the World Conference. The Forum also requests the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat to provide support to the secretariat of the Forum to carry out its responsibilities in this regard.
The Forum wishes to express its appreciation to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples for his participation at the second session of the Forum and for his important contribution thereto. The Forum invites the Special Rapporteur to participate annually at its sessions and to inform the Forum on his work in accordance with his mandate.
The Forum recommends that States pay special attention to the situation of uncontacted indigenous peoples, peoples in voluntary isolation, and peoples in isolated and remote localities and displaced peoples from indigenous communities. The Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people pay special attention in his annual reports to the situation of these peoples. The Forum also considers that the situation of these peoples should be the subject of a special international meeting during the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.
The Permanent Forum considers that the two-day high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples should be held in New York in September 2014, during the week leading up to the opening of the general debate, in order to encourage the highest level of participation of Member States, in particular Heads of State or Government, and with the full participation of indigenous peoples, heads of United Nations organizations, funds and programmes and non-governmental organizations.
In the absence of in-person sessions of the Permanent Forum for two years, the Forum expresses its appreciation of the online dialogues held with United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies and welcomes the continuation of this good practice in the coming years, beyond the effects of the pandemic. The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the secretariat of the Forum for facilitating these dialogues and invites the secretariat to continue to do so.
The Permanent Forum urges that discussions at the forthcoming summit to renew the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, scheduled to be held in Brazil in August 2023, fully involve Indigenous Peoples from the Amazon region in determining a road map that addresses their situation, including cross-border illegal activities and organized crime.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the organization of a workshop by the Indigenous People’s Center for Documentation, Research and Information in recognition of the historical role played by indigenous peoples within the United Nations system.
The Permanent Forum notes that forced labour and all forms of servitude constitute serious human rights violations that it is urgent to address; it therefore urges the Government of Paraguay to combat these practices as a matter of urgency.