Indigenous peoples have a profound relationship with their environment. This includes their distinct rights to water. The Permanent Forum urges States to guarantee those rights, including the right to access to safe, clean, accessible and affordable water for personal, domestic and community use. Water should be treated as a social and cultural good, and not primarily as an economic good. The manner in which the right to water is realized must be sustainable for present and future generations. Moreover, indigenous peoples’ access to water resources on their ancestral lands must be protected from encroachment and pollution. Indigenous peoples must have the resources to design, deliver and control their access to water.
The Permanent Forum reiterates the recommendation it made to the United States at its twenty-second session to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its call upon African Member States to extend invitations to the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other mandate holders to conduct country visits to foster transparent and constructive dialogue. The Forum notes the invitations from the Governments of Namibia and the United Republic of Tanzania to the Special Rapporteur to undertake country visits and invites Member States to provide financial support to realize these visits.