The Forum recommends that the national commissions of UNESCO work closely with indigenous experts and representatives with expertise in education, science, culture and communication to increase the participation of indigenous peoples in the activities of UNESCO.
The Forum reaffirms the UNDP focus on implementing its policy of working with indigenous peoples at the country level, and urges UNDP to continue its work to develop a policy on land tenure rights with the participation of indigenous peoples.
Recalling its recommendations made at its first, sixth and ninth sessions that called for publication of the report entitled “State of the world’s indigenous peoples”, the Permanent Forum requests the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to continue its publication of the document on a quadrennial basis.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the International Labour Organization (ILO) continue to work with the Forum, United Nations agencies, financial institutions, bilateral donors and other interested parties to further the inclusion of indigenous peoples’ rights in high-level development policies and poverty reduction strategy papers, such as by raising indigenous peoples’ issues with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and its related Development Assistance Committee.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations system ensure the inclusion and meaningful participation of indigenous peoples in all processes relating to the elaboration of the sustainable development goals. In this regard, the Forum recommends that indigenous peoples and their organizations and representatives participate in the dialogues between Member States and civil society during meetings of the Group.
The Permanent Forum recognizes that the role of boarding schools for indigenous children has attracted considerable international attention. In some countries, boarding schools have had a very negative, even tragic, impact on the families, cultures and identities of indigenous peoples. At the same time, in some regions of the world, boarding schools are considered an important step for the successful social integration and education of indigenous children into mainstream society. The situation is complex. The Permanent Forum therefore recommends that an expert member conduct an in-depth comprehensive and comparative case study on this subject, with a focus on best practices. Furthermore, where negative impacts have occurred, the Permanent Forum supports the call of indigenous peoples for formal apologies from the States concerned.
The Forum urges UNICEF, UNDP, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Global Fund for AIDS to gather and disaggregate data on indigenous infants, children and mothers based on criterion relating to ethnicity, cultural and tribal affiliation and language.
The Permanent Forum acknowledges the Ibero-American Action Plan for the Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 2018 and the establishment of an indigenous peoples’ regional observatory, led by the Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, as a tool to measure the progress made in implementing the Declaration. In addition, the Forum encourages Member States and the United Nations system to strengthen cooperation with the Fund, considering its fundamental role in the region in processes of dialogue and consultation between States and indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum appoints Irma Pineda Santiago and Símon Freddy Condo Riveros, members of the Forum, to conduct a study on collective intellectual property and the appropriation of the ideas and creations of indigenous peoples, and to present that study to the Forum at its twenty-first session.
The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Member States that have already submitted information to it over the years, and encourages all States to submit substantive information on measures taken to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum is concerned that, in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Member States are not complying with the Declaration. In one case, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination requested that Norway temporarily suspend the ongoing construction of the Fosen Vind onshore wind power project, which negatively affects the reindeer herding of the South Sami people. The Government of Norway, having concluded that its administrative and legal processes were sufficient, did not implement the interim measures. The Forum urges Member States to respect and comply with decisions made by the United Nations treaty bodies.
The Forum urges States and the United Nations agencies to support the attendance and participation of indigenous youth at future sessions of the Permanent Forum