The Permanent Forum calls on States, in consultation with indigenous peoples, to establish national judicial institutions tasked with identifying lands, waters, coastal waters and other resources to which the indigenous peoples concerned have established ownership and usufruct rights, and to demarcate such lands and resources.
The Permanent Forum invites the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights
Council on the situation of human rights defenders to prepare a study on the drivers
of attacks against indigenous human rights defenders in business contexts and invites
the Special Rapporteur to share information on progress with the Permanent Forum
at its twenty-second session, to be held in 2023.
The Permanent Forum regrets the lack of progress in enhancing participation by indigenous peoples at the World Intellectual Property Organization and reiterates previous requests that that Organization adopt a legally binding document to protect the traditional knowledge and intellectual property of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum requests that FAO and the United Nations Environment Programme, with the participation of indigenous peoples, develop a technical policy paper on indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and natural resources in the context of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security for submission to the Committee on World Food Security
Importantly, and in parallel with action plans, the Permanent Forum calls upon Member States to urgently provide adequate and appropriate support and resources for Indigenous Peoples’ languages, with a focus on Indigenous-led initiatives. That is especially crucial in circumstances in which the languages are critically endangered. When an Indigenous Peoples’ language becomes extinct, the richness of the ways of life and world views of Indigenous Peoples is lost, which is detrimental both to Indigenous Peoples and to the world.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States and relevant United Nations entities to ensure the right and access to media by and for Indigenous Peoples, as enshrined in article 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It calls upon Member States to cooperate with Indigenous journalists, as well as with OHCHR and other relevant United Nations entities, on the effective protection of Indigenous journalists from criminalization and violence.
The Permanent Forum highlights the pivotal role of Indigenous women and elders in transmitting cultural values and traditions, recognizing their critical influence on the sustainability of Indigenous cultures. The Forum calls upon Member States to support the establishment of mechanisms for the empowerment of Indigenous women and girls, and calls for their equal involvement and participation in decision-making processes at all levels
The Permanent Forum is concerned about the impacts of climate change in the Sahel and Great Lakes regions, which have triggered armed conflicts and displacement, and heightened the vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum calls for regional climate action.