Given that the United Nations relies on the cooperation of the people whom it serves and that everyone, individually and in association with others, has the right to unhindered access to and communication with the Organization, the Permanent Forum requests the Secretary-General, through the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and in consultation with other relevant United Nations mechanisms, to report on trends related to intimidation and reprisals against indigenous peoples who seek to engage with the United Nations, including by providing suggestions to prevent and address reprisals through reporting from all parts of the United Nations system and with input from indigenous peoples, to the Forum at its eighteenth session, in 2019.
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
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 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.