The Forum recommends that the United Nations and Member States recognize the cultural rights of indigenous peoples which include the rights to organize oneself freely and to administer one’s own cultural, sports, social and religious institutions. For this purpose, the Forum encourages the United Nations and the relevant specialized agencies to consider establishing an international centre for multicultural and multiracial studies.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to eliminate all assimilation policies that further exacerbate the economic and other disparities between indigenous peoples and the rest of the population.
The Permanent Forum recommends that FAO organize dialogues for indigenous peoples in such areas as the Arctic, North America, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, and the Pacific region to support indigenous peoples in preparing for the Summit.
The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States and the United Nations system involved in the processes leading to the development agenda beyond 2015 make concerted and targeted efforts to reach out to, and engage in a truly inclusive process with, indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, youth and persons with disabilities, to ensure that their rights and priorities are included in all processes relating to the definition of the themes and priorities for the post-2015 development agenda and of the sustainable development goals.
The Forum recommends that the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sponsor a workshop to discuss the merits and mechanisms for the establishment of a working group on indigenous peoples within the Conference of the Parties process, ensuring the participation of indigenous peoples from developed and undeveloped countries as well as interested member States.
A recommendation for expert group meeting on water to carry out a close review and assessment of water allocation, regulation and access policies that affect the rights and health of indigenous peoples and to explore and establish indicators of water well-being for indigenous nations and the world community.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the recognition by UNICEF of the valuable contributions indigenous children and youth can make in their local communities to ensure the sustainability of climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. The Forum urges the Fund to continue to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on indigenous children and youth, and requests that it ensure the effective participation of indigenous children and youth in the discussions on and solutions to environmental issues in accordance with article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Permanent Forum also calls upon WHO to work in close cooperation with the Forum in establishing a programme on non-communicable diseases, with special attention to indigenous peoples and diabetes. The Forum recognizes the findings of the Expert Meeting on Indigenous Peoples, Diabetes and Development, held in Copenhagen on 1 and 2 March 2012, and its outcome document entitled “The Copenhagen call to action” and recommends that those outcomes be considered when establishing the programme.
The Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur on the right to health pay special attention in his work to the right to health as contained in treaties between indigenous peoples and States.
The Permanent Forum recommends that donors, including the European Union, the European Commission, the Department of State of the United States of America, human rights support organizations and others provide long-term funding, legal aid and other resources to assist indigenous human rights defenders, their families, networks and communities.
To meet the major challenges facing indigenous peoples in Africa, the Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations system and other entities with expertise on indigenous peoples’ issues in the African region support the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that national human rights institutions and commissions address indigenous peoples’ issues and include indigenous experts as members of such bodies.