The Permanent Forum recommends that all States Parties to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 implement it by training their leading public officials/civil servants to respect and fulfil its provisions. It is crucial that indigenous peoples be fully informed of the consequences of the use and exploitation of natural resources in their lands and territories through consultations, under the principle of free, prior and informed consent, with indigenous peoples concerned. Through free, prior and informed consent, future conflicts can be avoided and the full participation of indigenous peoples in consultation mechanisms, environmental impact assessments and sociocultural impact assessments can be ensured.
The Permanent Forum decides to conduct a half-day discussion during its eighth session on the subject of “Countries of the Arctic region”, with the broad participation of indigenous communities, regional administrations and institutions of local self-governance.