The Permanent Forum requests that the specialized agencies of the United Nations, in accordance with articles 41 and 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, review their policies and programmes in order to comply with the provisions contained in the Declaration ensuring respect for the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples and the right to free, prior and informed consent.
The Permanent Forum strongly urges Member States to uphold the linguistic rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum encourages ILO to promote the ratification of the Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, 1989 (No. 169) (Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention).
The Permanent Forum has learned from indigenous peoples’ communications, which have been corroborated by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, that in the Chaco region there are Guaraní communities in a practical state of slavery. According to the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, as well as the articles 17, 26 and 28 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Forum strongly supports the efforts of the current Government of Bolivia and the commitment of the incoming Government of Paraguay to discontinue this enslaving practice and return indigenous lands to their lawful owners, the Guaraní themselves.
The Permanent Forum calls upon all States to ensure that their political institutions and structures are not used as a reason to relieve the State of its responsibility to implement international human rights obligations in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Forum takes note of the report of the International Workshop on Methodologies regarding Free, Prior and Informed Consent and Indigenous Peoples, and recommends that the United Nations system and intergovernmental processes and bodies continue to promote the political development and implementation of free, prior and informed consent, taking into account the development perspectives, respect for human rights and juridical pluralism of indigenous peoples