In accordance with international law, the Permanent Forum recommends that all States members of the Organization of American States recognize and respect that the United Nations Declaration constitutes the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples of the world, and requests them to ensure that the draft American declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples is consistent with or exceeds the standards affirmed in the United Nations Declaration.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant United Nations agencies and organs establish specific units for indigenous peoples’ issues to contribute to the implementation of the Declaration in accordance with its articles 41 and 42.
In October 2008, a Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility was established by under the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. The Committee is responsible for encouraging Finnish enterprises to follow all national and international regulations and standards. Also, the Committee will act as the National Contact Point for complaints concerning the inappropriate behaviour of the enterprises within the meaning of the OECD guidelines referred to above under Recommendation 15.
The Permanent Forum recognizes that it is important that the Human Rights Council continues to effectively address indigenous peoples’ issues as human rights issues. The Permanent Forum decides to appoint Ms. Ida Nicolaisen and Mr. Wilton Littlechild to undertake a study on the structures, procedures and mechanisms that presently exist and that might be established to effectively address the human rights situation of indigenous peoples, to arrange for indigenous representation and inclusion in such structures, procedures and mechanisms and to submit a report on the subject to the Permanent Forum by 31 December 2007.
The Permanent Forum recommends that all States Parties to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 implement it by training their leading public officials/civil servants to respect and fulfil its provisions. It is crucial that indigenous peoples be fully informed of the consequences of the use and exploitation of natural resources in their lands and territories through consultations, under the principle of free, prior and informed consent, with indigenous peoples concerned. Through free, prior and informed consent, future conflicts can be avoided and the full participation of indigenous peoples in consultation mechanisms, environmental impact assessments and sociocultural impact assessments can be ensured.
The Permanent Forum commends OHCHR for conducting training sessions on the rights of indigenous peoples for its staff in a number of Asian and African countries. The Permanent Forum recommends that OHCHR continue to expand such training and capacity-building efforts for its staff, both at headquarters and in country teams in all regions.
The Permanent Forum requests all States to include developments relating to the rights of indigenous peoples in their regular reports to the Human Rights Council under the universal periodic review mechanism.