The Permanent Forum recommends that the efforts undertaken to develop the indicators of sustainability and well-being of indigenous peoples should be continued and supported by States, the United Nations system and intergovernmental bodies. This will lead to the establishment of headline indicators to measure and represent the goals and aspirations of indigenous peoples. These initiatives should lead to the creation of an indigenous peoples development index, which the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would adopt as a project to be included in future issues of the Human Development Report.
The Permanent Forum suggests that the Human Rights Committee also interpret the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights taking into account the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In particular, the Committee should review its General Comment No. 12 (1984) on the right to self-determination (article 1 of the Covenant) and No. 23 (1994) on the rights of persons belonging to minorities (article 27 of the Covenant) taking into account article 3 and other relevant provisions of the Declaration. In addition, in accordance with the terms of General Comment No. 12, the Committee should request State parties to the Covenant to report on their compliance with their obligations regarding the right of all peoples, including indigenous peoples, to self-determination and related rights. The Committee should request that State parties prepare the relevant sections of their reports on the implementation of the Covenant in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to respect the right of indigenous nations to determine their own membership, in accordance with article 33 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.