The Permanent Forum urges States to promote indigenous community-controlled models for the health, social, legal and other sectors of indigenous communities and service providers to follow in implementing the Declaration. It recommends that WHO revisit the report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health to address the cultural determinants of health, such as land, language, ceremony and identity, which are essential to the health and well-being of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the Organization of American States on 15 June 2016. The Forum calls upon States to implement the American Declaration in order to advance the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) and other human rights instruments.
The lack of effective recognition of the indigenous justice systems by State institutions, as well as the ongoing discrimination against them in the State justice system and inadequate access to redress and reparation, are among the key challenges faced by indigenous peoples around the world. Strengthened support for indigenous justice systems is key to promoting human rights, the rule of law, the achievement of justice for all and the promotion of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, as set out in Goal 16.
The Permanent Forum encourages analysis by States, the specialized agencies, academics, indigenous peoples and their organizations of the implementation of free, prior and informed consent principles and mechanisms regarding projects on indigenous lands and territories, and encourages them to submit such analyses to the Permanent Forum for consolidation and to identify good practices and barriers.
The Permanent Forum calls upon States and corporations to fully recognize the presence and effective participation of indigenous peoples in all negotiation processes relating to the entry of extractive industries, infrastructure projects and other development projects into their communities, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, inter alia, articles 19, 23 and 32. Furthermore, the Forum calls upon all relevant actors to ensure the application of culturally relevant, gender-balanced and gender-based analysis and gender budgeting as critical elements of economic and social development, consistent with articles 21 and 44 of the Declaration.
The Forum, taking into account the large number of incarcerated indigenous children and youth and the need to assist them in reintegrating into society as soon as possible through socio-educational measures, recommends that the Economic and Social Council urge Governments to ensure greater protection and humane treatment of those children and youth while in prison and youth detention centres, and to provide them with socio-educational measures for their rehabilitation.
The Permanent Forum requests that UNESCO present a report to the Forum by 2020 on the implementation of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, on the basis of the action plan for organizing it (see E/C.19/2018/8).
The Forum expresses its concerns regarding continued violence against women and, owing to the seriousness of these conditions, reiterates its previous recommendations regarding: human and sex trafficking; prostitution and trans-border issues; the disappearance, or murder, of aboriginal women; issues related to identification and birth certificates; environmental violence; intergenerational trauma; youth suicide; peace and security; conflict prevention and resolution; cultural practices such as female genital mutilation or cutting; bride price and promised brides; racism and discrimination; and data disaggregation.
Building upon past work of the Permanent Forum with regard to indigenous women, in particular the study on the extent of violence against indigenous women and girls in terms of article 22 (2) of the United Nations Declaration (see E/C.19/2013/9) and the report of the international expert group meeting on combating such violence (see E/2012/43-E/C.19/2012/13) the Forum recommends that States adopt measures aimed at addressing the specific problems of police brutality, systemic police violence and discrimination against indigenous women, as experienced, for example, by indigenous women in Val-d’Or, Canada, Sepur Zarco, Guatemala, and north-east India.
The Permanent Forum underscores the need to strengthen collaboration with UN-Women in order to finalize a road map, including concrete actions, and specific outcomes within their next strategic plan as well as to include indigenous women’s priorities in global, regional and national programmes, consistent with articles 21, 22 and 41 of the Declaration.
The Permanent Forum invites the General Assembly to request that UNESCO report on activities carried out during the International Year, and subsequent impacts and follow-up activities after 2019, at its seventy-fifth session.
The Forum, recognizing the contributions of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in reducing rural poverty and its experience of good practices, recommends that IFAD consider operational guidelines on indigenous peoples and a framework tool for advocacy for promoting indigenous rights and development and achieving internaitonal development goals which emerged from international conferences, summits and conventions which are relevant for indigenous peoples