The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision taken by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/193 to declare 2011 the International Year of Forests. The Forum calls on the United Nations Forum on Forests to work closely with the secretariat of the Permanent Forum to ensure the full participation of indigenous peoples in the design and implementation of the activities planned for the International Year of Forests, including the implementation of the recommendations referred to in paragraph 23 above
The Permanent Forum recalls its recommendations contained in paragraphs 52, 54, 55 and 58 of the report on its seventh session (ibid., chap. I, sect. B) and expresses concern for the human rights of indigenous peoples in the context of Non Self-Governing Territory issues and those seeking reinscription as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, and calls upon the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and other mandate holders to examine and report on the impact on the human rights of those indigenous peoples in that regard.
The Permanent Forum expresses its solidarity with the families of 43 trainee teachers of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, Mexico, who have been missing since 26 September 2014, and supports their efforts to seek justice. The Forum also welcomes and acknowledges the steps taken thus far by the Government of Mexico to resolve this disappearance, and encourages the Government to continue its efforts in collaboration with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and in close consultation with the relevant indigenous peoples and families.
The Permanent Forum takes note of the Deatnu (Tana/Teno) river fishing agreement between the Governments of Finland and Norway that was adopted by their respective Parliaments in March 2017. The Sami Parliaments of Finland and Norway have informed the Forum that the agreement was adopted without the free, prior and informed consent of the Sami. The Forum requests the Governments of Finland and Norway to renegotiate the agreement with the full and effective participation of Sami rights holders.
The Permanent Forum recommends that staff in country offices as well as those who work on specific countries from their own headquarters ensure the full participation of indigenous peoples in conducting evaluations under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, as recommended in the 2004 framework.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ensure a significant focus on refugee issues in the Pacific region, giving particular attention to the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in that region.
The Permanent Forum has learned from indigenous peoples’ communications, which have been corroborated by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, that in the Chaco region there are Guaraní communities in a practical state of slavery. According to the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, as well as the articles 17, 26 and 28 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Forum strongly supports the efforts of the current Government of Bolivia and the commitment of the incoming Government of Paraguay to discontinue this enslaving practice and return indigenous lands to their lawful owners, the Guaraní themselves.
The Forum recommends that the Committee on the Rights of the Child, at its special discussion day on the indigenous child, to be held on 19 September 2003, in addition to considering reports from States parties, pay special attention to issues related to safeguarding the integrity of indigenous families.
The Permanent Forum urges UNESCO to develop an indigenous peoples’ platform within the agency to ensure that UNESCO language programmes provide tangible benefits to indigenous communities and ensure that indigenous peoples are active in all aspects of the work of UNESCO.
The Forum welcomes the adoption by the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-sixth session of the resolution entitled “Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication” (see E/2012/27-E/CN.6/2012/16, resolution 56/4) and calls for its implementation.
The Permanent Forum notes the organization of preparatory meetings for indigenous youth for its sixteenth session, including the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus meeting hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Forum recommends that this practice be scaled up in 2018, with representative participation of indigenous youth through indigenous peoples’ organizations from all regions, and invites FAO to report on progress achieved to the Forum at its seventeenth session.
The Permanent Forum is concerned by the high number of indigenous children being removed from their families and placed into public social care, in particular in developed countries. In this regard, the Forum noted with satisfaction the Expert Mechanism’s engagement on the rights of the indigenous children. The report of the Expert Mechanism on the indigenous child will be discussed at its forthcoming session, in July 2021.