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.
Recalling the international expert Workshop on Data Collection and Disaggregation for Indigenous Peoples (see E/C.19/2004/2, for the report thereon), the Forum welcomes the collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division in reviewing national practices in data collection and dissemination in the areas of ethnicity, language and religion and looks forward to the Demographic Yearbook special topic which will include data and analysis relevant to indigenous peoples. The Forum is also pleased to note that data on national and/or ethnic groups are being made available online by the Statistics Division at the following website: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybcens.htm
In light of this work, as well as the 2010 World Population and Housing Census Program, the Forum supports the Statistics Division in: (a) continuing its work in reviewing national practices in data collection and dissemination on issues relevant to indigenous peoples; (b) considering the extent to which the revision of the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses can further address national and international data needs by facilitating the collection of data on indigenous peoples; c) Continuing to follow the recommendations of the international expert Workshop on Data Collection and Disaggregation for Indigenous Peoples; (d) Strengthening user-producer consultation in data collection and dissemination efforts
The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision by FAO to observe an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026 and encourages Member States to support the participation of indigenous peoples in events leading up to the year.
The Forum recommends that the World Conservation Union Congress, to be held in November 2004 in Bangkok, endorse the recommendations on indigenous peoples and protected areas, as well as other relevant recommendations (such as on sacred sites) adopted by the Fifth World Parks Congress. It should also emphasize the need for the recognition of community conserved areas and indigenous peoples’ protected areas, the need for the full respect for indigenous peoples’ rights and the need for indigenous peoples’ free prior informed consent to be obtained before the declaration or in the management of any protected area which may affect them.
The Permanent Forum applauds the effective participation mechanisms for indigenous peoples in such mechanisms as the Convention on Biological Diversity Working Group on article 8 (j) and related provisions, and recommends that, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, such practices be extended to all critical areas of interest to indigenous peoples, such as the Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing and in particular the Working Group on Protected Areas.
The Forum urges States to undertake and promote the expansion of their national health systems in order to provide holistic health programmes for indigenous children that incorporate preventive medical practices and family and community participation. States are urged to address the issues of malnutrition of indigenous children victimized by poverty by adopting special measures to ensure and protect the cultivation of traditional food crops.
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
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Government of Paraguay should make resolute progress towards the development of a land registry that will facilitate land titling, and thus the recovery of land by indigenous communities and the territorial reconstitution of their respective peoples.
The Permanent Forum urges States, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to develop and implement specific laws and mechanisms to protect indigenous human rights defenders, to ensure that attacks against them are investigated and that those persons responsible are held accountable.
The Permanent Forum recommends that a task force be created within the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues to specifically address migration issues of indigenous peoples, as suggested in the 2006 Geneva workshop on this matter (E/C.19/2007/CRP.5).
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
The Permanent Forum strongly supports the position expressed in the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference that States should take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples.