The Permanent Forum welcomes efforts by Member States to organize specific vaccine programmes for indigenous peoples and encourages the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi Alliance, WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund, in their administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, to ensure that indigenous peoples are uniquely included in vaccine dissemination efforts. Given the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 virus on the mortality of indigenous peoples in many countries, the Forum underlines the urgency of ensuring that all indigenous peoples are uniquely considered in vaccine planning and distribution. Due attention should also be given to indigenous peoples affected by conflict and post-conflict situations and complex humanitarian emergencies.
The Permanent Forum commits to facilitating informal online regional dialogues between Member States and indigenous peoples on autonomy and self-governance to support the development of guiding principles for the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples to autonomy and self-government. The Permanent Forum invites the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous People’s Issues to participate in the organization of these regional dialogues and in the preparation of a discussion paper on this matter to be presented at the twenty-first session of the Forum. The Permanent Forum also invites the Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples to encourage the active participation of Member States in this endeavour.