The Permanent Forum recommends that the Statistical Commission and the United Nations Statistics Division use the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts in the development of a coherent and integrated set of indicators for monitoring the situation and well-being of indigenous peoples and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the capacity-building efforts being carried out by the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity with the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network for the Latin American and Caribbean Region, thanks to the patronage of the Government of Spain, and encourages other donor Governments to consider sponsoring similar efforts in other regions, in particular in Africa and in the Pacific region.
The Permanent Forum urges other States to provide similar support and urges regional commissions to strengthen their focus on urban indigenous peoples and issues, in particular regarding the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2006 publication.
Recognizing that States cannot address indigenous education issues alone or in isolation, indigenous representatives and organizations of indigenous peoples should prepare to engage with Governments to facilitate the indigenous education goals of participation, access, attainment, indigenous languages, proficiency in the national language and at least one international language and numeracy, capacity-building, appreciation, understanding and respect for indigenous cultures, and anti-racism strategies.
The Forum recommends that the Economic and Social Council encourage States, specialized bodies and the United Nations system to consider creating international indigenous universities.
The Permanent Forum calls upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and States parties thereto to develop mechanisms to promote the participation of indigenous peoples in all aspects of the international dialogue on climate change.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States that have not already done so assign environment a more important profile in strategic planning initiatives at the national level and, in particular, in e-government initiatives so that the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) for the environment is integrated into planning processes from the beginning, along with other national priorities and initiatives (disposal of ICT equipment).
Reiterating the recommendation made at its seventh session, the Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration focus on the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in the Pacific region, in particular in view of the effects of climate change (see E/2008/43-E/C.19/2008/13, chap. 1, sect. B, para. 59).
With few commendable exceptions, indigenous peoples have been neglected in large part in the contingency measures of government authorities in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, their needs and requirements are not taken adequately into account or addressed by national programmes and policies. The Permanent Forum agrees with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples that effective responses to the pandemic and recovery measures need to be a collaborative effort between indigenous institutions and State institutions. Combining indigenous knowledge of what is best for indigenous communities with State services and financial support will ensure effective outcomes.
In accordance with international law, the Permanent Forum recommends that all States members of the Organization of American States recognize and respect that the United Nations Declaration constitutes the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples of the world, and requests them to ensure that the draft American declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples is consistent with or exceeds the standards affirmed in the United Nations Declaration.
The Permanent Forum requests all States to include developments relating to the rights of indigenous peoples in their regular reports to the Human Rights Council under the universal periodic review mechanism.
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.