The Permanent Forum recommends that all States work in equal partnership with indigenous peoples to develop, implement and evaluate indicators on well-being that provide an overview of the social and economic status of indigenous peoples within a holistic, integrated framework. The Forum also recommends that States invest adequate resources, in accordance with their human rights obligations, to address the indigenous social and economic needs identified by the indicator framework.
The Permanent Forum calls upon the States parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to continue to enhance participatory mechanisms by ensuring that the diverse regional views of indigenous peoples are reflected in discussions on the international regime on access and benefit-sharing. In particular, the parties are urged to ensure adequate representation of indigenous peoples from the seven indigenous geo-cultural regions12 and subregional levels in the Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing and to ensure that they are provided with opportunities to express diverse regional and subregional views.
The Forum reiterates the recommendations contained in its report on its second session and strongly advises positive consideration to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and UNAIDS joining the Inter-Agency Support Group
Given the anniversary of such an important milestone for Member States and indigenous peoples, the Permanent Forum encourages those States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) to consider doing so.
The Permanent Forum hails the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly. The 13th of September 2007 is a historic day for the United Nations, indigenous peoples and States and marks the beginning of a new era of renewed partnerships for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all indigenous peoples and each indigenous person around the world. The Forum notes its new responsibility under the Declaration and pledges its commitment to making it a living document throughout its work. The Forum thus invites the international community as a whole, States, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academia and the media to promote the Declaration and apply it in their policies and programmes for the improvement of indigenous peoples’ well-being around the world
Furthermore, the Permanent Forum will promote a constructive dialogue with Governments on the achievements, challenges and future action required in relation to indigenous peoples’ issues in each country under the Declaration. Such dialogue will take place periodically and enlist the participation of indigenous organizations and the United Nations system. The discussion will create an enabling environment of cooperation at the national and international levels, aiming at practical results on the ground.
The Permanent Forum recommends that national human rights institutions and other relevant national and regional bodies, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, promote the rights of indigenous peoples and monitor the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and ensure that the international standards on indigenous peoples’ rights are translated into national laws.
The Permanent Forum recommends that adequate and sustained funding and other support be provided to the aforementioned projects of UNDP and ILO and that they be replicated in different regions of the world.
The Permanent Forum also calls upon Member States to adopt effective measures to create a sustainable language environment by using information technologies and educational systems and by documenting and monitoring indigenous/native languages and using these languages in public spheres.
The Forum recommends that the Economic and Social Council, the relevant United Nations cooperating agencies and Governments of the region provide technical facilities and grant the necessary political and moral support for organizing:
(a) The Fourth Continental Summit of Indigenous Women of the Americas, to be held in Lima in March 2004;
(b) The Second Continental Conference of Indigenous Women of Africa, to be held in Nairobi, 2003;
(c) The Second Conference of Asian Indigenous Women, to be held in 2004.
In order to facilitate its work, the Forum decides to appoint Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of the Forum, and Wilton Littlechild, Member of the Forum, as Special Rapporteurs, to prepare, without financial implications, an analytical paper with a concise thematic compiliation of the recommendations of the first three sessions of the Forum, and their status of implementation at the national, regional and international levels, and to submit it to the Permanent Forum at its fifth session, in 2006
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues requests the Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People to submit a report to the Permanent Forum at its annual sessions regarding progress on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (A/60/270, sect. II) and invites States, the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations, and indigenous peoples and other non-governmental organizations to provide information to the Coordinator.