The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia regions to implement international standards and norms on the rights of indigenous peoples and ensure their rights to lands, territories and resources, in particular article 20 of the Declaration. This includes recognizing reindeer herders’ use and management of grazing land and use of necessary biological resources by hunters, fishers and foragers.
The Forum appreciates the information provided by the Council of Europe on the ways in which indigenous issues have been addressed in that organization. The Forum recommends that other appropriate regional intergovernmental organizations provide it with information on the ways in which indigenous issues have been addressed in their respective mechanisms for the protection of human rights and invites them to establish contacts with the Forum and to extend their experience with other regions.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to work in good faith with indigenous peoples for the unqualified endorsement and full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and urges that such endorsement and implementation honour the spirit and intent of the Declaration, consistent with indigenous peoples’ human rights.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other relevant United Nations system agencies, in cooperation with the Permanent Forum, study and summarize practices regarding the implementation of free, prior and informed consent globally, that they widely disseminate successful experiences and that they present their findings to the Permanent Forum at its twenty - fourth session, to be held in 2025.
In this connection, and in respect of articles 41 and 42 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum trusts that, at its ninety-eighth session, in 2009, the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards of the International Labour Conference will pay due attention to the cases of violation of ILO Convention No. 169, which have been signalled by the Committee of Experts, in the light of the Declaration, and urges States to respond promptly to the reports of the Committee of Experts.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the killings, violence and harassment targeted at indigenous human rights defenders, which are also frequently committed with impunity. The Permanent Forum is concerned that, despite international condemnation, these criminal acts of violence persist, especially in a small number of countries in South and Central America, Africa and Asia.
The Permanent Forum urges all States, when addressing situations of violence and abuse within indigenous communities, to do so on a non-discriminatory basis and consistent with human rights standards, the principle of free, prior and informed consent, and the full and effective participation of the indigenous peoples concerned.ries, sacred sites and indigenous peoples’ conservation activities.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the effort of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish a regional human rights mechanism and offers its expertise and cooperation in this matter. The Forum recommends that the mechanism be called the “ASEAN Human Rights Commission” and that the commission explicitly recognize indigenous peoples in its terms of reference. We look forward to a strong commission with full investigatory and implementation powers, which uses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as its framework in dealing with indigenous peoples’ issues. The Forum also recommends that the commission establish a committee on indigenous peoples in addition to its proposed committees on migrant workers and women and children.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Human Rights Council update and complete the United Nations study on treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between States and indigenous populations, including the possible appointment of a rapporteur to carry out this task and to provide regular reports to the Human Rights Council, the Permanent Forum and other appropriate bodies.