States, the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations should ensure the participation of indigenous peoples in designing and formulation of poverty reduction strategies, programs and activities. Rights to indigenous land, forests, marine and other natural resources should be clearly identified in poverty reduction strategy papers, documents, the role of indigenous peoples should be specified and the control by indigenous peoples over traditional land, forests, marine and other natural resources and decisions on the type of development should be acknowledged
The Permanent Forum recommends that States establish mechanisms and processes for consistent dialogues and consultations with indigenous peoples in their countries on ways and means to foster better relationships and to enable indigenous peoples to exercise fully their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, in addition to other individual and collective human rights.
The Permanent Forum encourages all United Nations agencies that have not yet developed a policy on engaging with indigenous peoples to follow the example of sister agencies in order to ensure that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adequately reflected in all United Nations programmes.
The Permanent Forum expresses appreciation to Mr. Michael Dodson for his concept paper on traditional knowledge, and recommends that the paper be widely circulated. The Permanent Forum invites States, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples and their organizations and academic institutions to submit written comments to the secretariat for consideration at the seventh session of the Permanent Forum. The Permanent Forum welcomes the support and notes that the recommendation in paragraph 24 of the report of the Special Rapporteur states that: “the Permanent Forum should commission a study ... to determine whether there ought to be a shift in the focus on the protection of indigenous traditional knowledge away from intellectual property law to protection via customary law ... The study should consider how indigenous traditional knowledge could be protected at an international level by utilizing customary law, including the extent to which customary law should be reflected, thereby providing guidance to States and, subsequently, protection at national and regional levels”. The Permanent Forum would particularly welcome written submissions addressing the above recommendation. The Permanent Forum re-appoints Mr. Dodson as Special Rapporteur to present a follow-up study on indigenous traditional knowledge, taking into account the written submissions, and to present the report to the seventh session of the Permanent Forum in 2008.
Decision-making bodies, including customary and traditional bodies of conflictaffected indigenous peoples, should be recognized as legitimate parties to conflict resolution efforts. Therefore, administrative and customary authorities and traditional leaders of indigenous peoples should receive training on peaceful dispute resolution. Relevant United Nations system entities, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the International Organization for Migration, should mobilize the financial and technical resources necessary for the worldwide use of peacebuilding tools that have been tested with success in the Sahel and of the Congo Basin
The Permanent Forum also recommends that the Commission on the Status of Women include in its agenda a specific focus on Indigenous women and girls to identify best practices and guide Member States in implementing general recommendation No. 39.
The rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact continue to face grave threats of dispossession and destruction of their ancestral territories, as well as the risk of genocide, owing to the lack of recognition of their rights. These threats include encroachment by extractive industries and the rapid imposition of monocultures, deforestation, violence, and the presence and proselytism of missionaries, including Mennonite groups. The Permanent Forum urges the application and observance of guidelines and recommendations by regional and international entities, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization to establish a mechanism for the participation of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum recommends that States members of the Treaty Organization guarantee the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in all processes with a view to developing the operational structure of the mechanism. The Forum invites the Treaty Organization to present a progress report at the next session of the Forum in 2025. The Forum welcomes the opportunity to provide its expertise to the Treaty Organization.