The rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact continue to face grave threats of dispossession and destruction of their ancestral territories, as well as the risk of genocide, owing to the lack of recognition of their rights. These threats include encroachment by extractive industries and the rapid imposition of monocultures, deforestation, violence, and the presence and proselytism of missionaries, including Mennonite groups. The Permanent Forum urges the application and observance of guidelines and recommendations by regional and international entities, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Colombia and Ecuador to take immediate action to protect the indigenous peoples whose territories are in the border area between the two countries. The Forum encourages the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples to work with the two Governments to address this situation in close cooperation with the indigenous communities concerned.