The Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, included indigenous women among those who had encountered particular barriers to full equality and advancement, both as women and as members of their communities. The review and appraisal of the Beijing Platform for Action acknowledged that indigenous women continued to face many obstacles and challenges, which included multiple forms of discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity, as well as the impact of globalization and environmental degradation.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the study presented by UNFPA, in collaboration with CHIRAPAQ (Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú), entitled “Progress and challenges regarding the recommendations of the Forum on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence”. The Permanent Forum invites UNFPA to make efforts to disseminate the findings of the study at the global, regional and country levels among Member States, United Nations mechanisms and indigenous organizations. The Forum also invites UNFPA to engage in concerted dialogue wit h the nine Member States that were part of the study on next steps to put into action the recommendations of the study, and to report to the Forum at its eighteenth session on progress made.
The Forum recommends that the special theme of its third session be "Indigenous women".
The Permanent Forum calls upon States to revise national public policies and programmes to include a culturally appropriate perspective, in particular in policies E/2024/43 E/C.19/2024/8 24-07820 17/28 and programmes for reproductive health services so that Indigenous women can receive quality health services.
The Forum underlines the importance of technical cooperation and capacity-building programmes regarding and involving indigenous women, and in that respect recommends that such programmes conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ILO, UNDP, among others, include projects regarding and involving indigenous women.
The Permanent Forum reiterates the need for the implementation of its recommendation, contained in paragraph 12 of its report on its third session E/2004/43-E/C.19/2004/23), relating to the situation of indigenous women migrants. The Forum invites ILO to coordinate with other appropriate agencies, in cooperation with indigenous women’s organizations, to prepare a report on the situation of indigenous women with regard to informal work, migration and working conditions, for submission to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
Given the fact that the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as other forms of violence, including trafficking and domestic violence, has gained increasing public attention in Canada, the Permanent Forum urges the Government of Canada to provide more emergency shelters serving indigenous women, as well as better victim services, and specific programmes to assist indigenous women who have been trafficked.
United Nations organizations and States should pay special attention to the specific situation and needs of elderly indigenous women.
The Forum affirms the recommendation contained in paragraph 57 of the report, urging States to implement and strengthen national censuses and data collection on socioeconomic and well-being indicators to include data disaggregation in relation to violence against indigenous women and girls; reiterates the importance of peace and security to the lives of indigenous women and children and endorses the recommendation contained in paragraph 68 of the report, that States should implement Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010); reaffirms the recommendation contained in paragraph 51 that indigenous communities should consider creating and supporting initiatives to monitor and assess the situation of violence against indigenous women and girls and present regular reports to the Permanent Forum on violence against indigenous women and girls; and endorses the recommendation contained in paragraph 55, that United Nations agencies, bodies and other entities support the development of protocol templates for police practices involving missing persons cases of indigenous women and girls, and that indigenous peoples and States work in partnership to implement these protocol templates to increase their effectiveness and to be consistent with international human rights laws, norms and standards.
The Permanent Forum highlights the pivotal role of Indigenous women and elders in transmitting cultural values and traditions, recognizing their critical influence on the sustainability of Indigenous cultures. The Forum calls upon Member States to support the establishment of mechanisms for the empowerment of Indigenous women and girls, and calls for their equal involvement and participation in decision-making processes at all levels
The Forum recommends that immediate steps be taken within the framework of the Commission on Sustainable Development to protect water from privatization and from bilateral and multilateral governmental agreements and other incursions that affect the integrity of waters and impoverish communities, particularly indigenous women. The Forum recommends that the Commission appoint a special rapporteur for the protection of water to gather testimony directly from indigenous communities of the world impacted by or targeted for water privatization, diversion, toxic contamination, pollution, commodification and other environmental injustices that damage natural and potable water supplies
The Permanent Forum urges Member States and funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system to implement action to reduce maternal mortality among indigenous women. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women publish a factsheet, in collaboration with the Forum, on indigenous women’s maternal mortality and maternal health, with the aim of reducing maternal mortality and promoting sexual and reproductive health.