The Permanent Forum welcomes the progress made by OHCHR in translating Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women general recommendation No. 39 (2022) into Aymara, Nahuatl, Moxeño Trinitario, Q’eqchi, Kaqchikel and Guaraní, and calls upon OHCHR to continue to expand its efforts to translate the recommendation into Indigenous languages throughout the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, before the end of 2032.
The Permanent Forum invites the General Assembly to request that UNESCO report on activities carried out during the International Year, and subsequent impacts and follow-up activities after 2019, at its seventy-fifth session.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States and all other relevant actors at all levels, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to issue their action plans by the end of 2022, and that they subsequently monitor their implementation and update them with specific measurement indicators every three years during the International Decade
The Permanent Forum notes that the draft Nordic Saami Convention stands out as an example of good practice in empowering indigenous peoples to preserve and revitalize their languages. The Forum therefore encourages the Nordic States to support the process of the Saami Convention with a view to their adoption of it in due course.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the importance that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees attaches to the use of indigenous languages when working with indigenous peoples in emergency situations. The Permanent Forum encourages other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to follow that positive practice. For instance, the Permanent Forum recommends that the World Health Organization (WHO) prioritize indigenous languages as a determinant of health.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States, international organizations and the United Nations system to support, financially and by other means, the strengthening of the Ibero-American Institute of Indigenous Languages, which aims to guarantee the exercise of the cultural and linguistic rights recognized in, inter alia, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and International Labour Organization (ILO) Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No.169).
The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States formulate evidence- based policies, long-term strategies and regulatory frameworks, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to ensure their support and the protection and revitalization of indigenous languages, including adequate, sustained support for bilingual, mother- tongue education. The Forum also recommends that States facilitate the mainstreaming of indigenous languages. Allowing indigenous peoples to gain access to health care and other public services in their own languages will help to ensure their overall well-being.
The Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations entities, including the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, take effective measures to support the promotion of indigenous languages and the successful implementation of the goals and objectives of the International Year, including in activities related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the systemwide action plan on the rights of indigenous peoples, the celebration of international days and other processes.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States recognize the language rights of indigenous peoples and develop language policies to promote and protect indigenous languages, with a focus on high-quality education in indigenous languages, including by supporting full immersion methods such as language nests and innovative methods such as nomadic schools. It is essential that States develop evidence-based legislation and policies to promote and protect indigenous languages and, in that regard, they should collect and disseminate baseline information on the status of indigenous languages. These activities should be conducted in close cooperation with the indigenous peoples concerned.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the crucial role of academia in researching, documenting and teaching indigenous languages. It encourages UNESCO to duly consider and accept UNESCO Chair applications by universities and research institutions with a view to establishing UNESCO Chairs on indigenous languages and other educational initiatives that support the goals of the International Decade.
The Permanent Forum recalls the relevance of article 13 (1) of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and encourages States to step up efforts, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to advance the realization of the linguistic and cultural rights of Indigenous Peoples, including through the right to education in Indigenous Peoples’ languages in the context of the International Decade.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States and the United Nations system, including United Nations country teams, provide support, including funding, for the efforts of indigenous peoples’ institutions to preserve and revitalize their languages, with the particular goal of fluency. Such efforts may include the sharing of positive experiences and the establishment of informal networks or caucuses involved in the promotion and revitalization of indigenous languages, as well as the use of information and communications technology in indigenous languages. It is important that States provide adequate funding for language revitalization and the preservation of cultural heritage as it relates to indigenous languages. In addition, States should facilitate funding for indigenous language projects from external donors, including the private sector, in accordance with law.