The Forum recommends that courts and judicial bodies take urgent step to ensure the protection of indigenous peoples from threats of the use of physical violence by Governments or paramilitary groups controlled by Governments and non-State actors
Recalling articles 3–4, 8, 18, 25–26 and 32 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum urges African States to promote, recognize and protect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources through the development of mechanisms to ensure the legal recognition of land and resource rights, the resolution of land disputes, fair and equitable redress, and the creation of permanent dialogue frameworks to facilitate political participation and representation of indigenous peoples in decision-making.
The Permanent Forum considers climate change to be a driver of insecurity, exacerbating conflicts over lands, territories and resources. The Forum calls upon the Security Council to consider indigenous peoples as partners. Close consultation with indigenous peoples is required to ensure the respect of the rights of indigenous peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations.
According to articles 25 to 36 of the Declaration, States shall uphold the right to the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples and avoid, minimize and adjudicate disputes concerning land, territory or resources arising from extractive industries, large-scale water, energy and infrastructure projects, and agricultural investments.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the efforts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to construe the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, regarding indigenous persons, taking into account the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Committee request relevant State parties to the Convention to prepare the sections relating to indigenous peoples in their reports on the implementation of the Convention in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Working Group on Indigenous Populations include, at its twenty-fifth session in 2007, under its standard-setting mandate, the development of the principle of free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that a task force be created within the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues to specifically address migration issues of indigenous peoples, as suggested in the 2006 Geneva workshop on this matter (E/C.19/2007/CRP.5).
The Permanent Forum takes note of the UNDP Global Programme for Electoral Cycle Support initiative, with its focus on indigenous women and youth in Latin America, and appreciates the contributions provided by donors to ensure the success of the initiative. The Forum recommends that Member States, UN-Women and UNICEF provide financial support for this important initiative for indigenous women and youth.
Recognizing that there is a general lack of awareness of the distinct status of indigenous peoples and the human rights of indigenous peoples, which may lead to systemic discrimination, the Permanent Forum urges all levels of government to ensure that relevant staff as well as the broader public are aware of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in order to promote and ultimately achieve a framework for justice, reconciliation and respect for the human rights of all. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum requests all States to uphold the names of respected past and present indigenous leaders, and indigenous peoples, and that they not be used in any inappropriate military connections.
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 calls on the chairs of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals to address inequalities through the sustainable development goals, with a special focus on indigenous peoples, in order to uphold human rights for all, eliminate discrimination, reduce inequalities and ensure that no one is left behind.
The Permanent Forum appreciates the invitation to participate in the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Communication, to be held in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2013 and recommends that Forum members Saul Vicente Vazquez and Alvaro Pop attend the Summit.