Displaying 1 - 12 of 32
Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 13 (2014)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum is concerned about the reduction in indigenous-specific funding for programmes and projects by United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, for example the depletion of resources of the voluntary fund of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for accredited indigenous peoples and local community observers. The Forum recommends that such United Nations entities ensure substantial funding to support targeted programmes and projects for indigenous peoples consistent with article 41 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Area of Work: Cooperation

Addressee: Member States

Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 3 (2004)
Full Text:

The Forum recommends that Member States adopt legislation acknowledging that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples is their inalienable cultural heritage and embodies their cultural identity and that they make available such legislation and information in local indigenous languages.

Area of Work: Culture

Addressee: IFAD

Paragraph Number: 20
Session: 9 (2010)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum congratulates the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the approval of its policy on engagement with indigenous peoples, consistent with international standards, in particular with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Development Group guidelines. In the implementation of the policy, the Forum encourages the Trust Fund to establish an indigenous peoples’ forum at IFAD, as an example of a good practice to be followed by other United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations.

Area of Work: Economic and Social Development

Addressee: UNDP

Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 2 (2003)
Full Text:

The Forum welcomes UNDP’s contribution to the Forum and its support of the establishment of a working group on free, prior and informed consent and of the initiative to develop a land rights policy. The Forum also recognizes the key role UNDP can play in data collection and disaggregation through its national human development reports and the Millennium Development Goals reports. The Forum also recognizes that the Goals can provide an overall framework for furthering indigenous peoples’ development.

Area of Work: Economic and Social Development
Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 8 (2009)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum notes that representatives of extractive industries, although invited, were unable to attend the International Expert Workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Corporate Accountability and the Extractive Industries, held in Manila from 27 to 29 March 2009. The Forum also notes that the International Council on Mining and Metals is in the process of developing a set of voluntary guidelines for the industry for engagement with indigenous peoples. The Forum invites the Council at the conclusion of the development of the guidelines to forward a copy to the secretariat of the Permanent Forum. The Forum decides to forward a copy of the report of the International Expert Workshop to the International Council on Mining and Metals.

Area of Work: Economic and Social Development
Paragraph Number: 20
Session: 12 (2013)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum recommends that States, in collaboration with indigenous peoples and United Nations agencies, including UNICEF and UNESCO, prepare a comprehensive report on the number of indigenous languages spoken in each State. It is important to identify the current numbers and ages of fluent speakers of each indigenous language, in addition to measures, including constitutional, legislative, regulatory and policy measures, as well as financial support, whether ongoing or project-based, by States, United Nations agencies and indigenous peoples, to ensure that indigenous languages continue to be used, survive and thrive and do not become extinct.

Area of Work: Education

Addressee: FAO

Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 14 (2015)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum recommends that FAO, in coordination with indigenous peoples, organize training and other capacity-building development, as well as establish mechanisms for engagement such as working groups and appropriate representation of indigenous peoples in relevant instruments and bodies of FAO, and provide a progress report on those activities to the Forum at its fifteenth session.

Area of Work: Education
Paragraph Number: 20
Session: 3 (2004)
Full Text:

The Forum recommends that the United Nations system consider the following recommendations:

(a) The United Nations system should fully explore the protection, use and promotion of indigenous (including traditional) knowledge and ensure synergies across the relevant bodies currently investigating the issues (specifically the World Intellectual Property Organization, UNESCO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and others) and furthermore should invite the Forum to participate;

(b) UNESCO should continue to investigate indigenous pedagogy and its application to indigenous education in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples and the Forum and other relevant bodies. The study should include the use of such strategies as boarding schools and both their negative and positive effects. To assist with this investigation into indigenous education, UNESCO is urged to facilitate regional conferences and a global forum on indigenous education to identify both barriers to educational equity and good practice;

(c) The Forum calls upon Governments and UNESCO to give more attention (by increasing their budgets) to developing quality indigenous education policies (with the participation of indigenous peoples) to achieve the Dakar objectives. “Education for all” is one of the fundamental objectives of the World Education Forum that should be achieved by 2015;

(d) The Forum encourages the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNESCO and other agencies to continue to support, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, intercultural and bilingual education programmes and to promote in particular the right of education for girls;

(e) The Forum should work with UNITAR to coordinate training for indigenous peoples within the United Nations system;

(f) UNESCO is requested to facilitate a world indigenous education conference, with appropriate United Nations partners (the Forum, UNESCO, UNITAR etc.), Member States and indigenous peoples. Furthermore, UNESCO should invite indigenous peoples and the Forum to participate in United Nations activities in the field of education. UNESCO has recently completed and distributed a publication on best practices for indigenous peoples education and this should be promoted throughout the international community;

(g) UNICEF advocates bilingual and cross-cultural education for indigenous peoples and conducts schools for girls and women’s literacy programmes in Latin America, and this initiative should be further encouraged and expanded;

(h) The Forum recommends that relevant agencies and Governments, on a regional basis, should provide technical services and the political and moral support needed for the creation, recognition and functioning of future international indigenous universities;

(i) Taking into account the importance of UNESCO national commissions, the Forum recommends that the Economic and Social Council and Governments facilitate the participation of indigenous peoples in the regional commissions with the incorporation of indigenous representation;

(j) The Forum, to underscore the crucial role of language skills to sustainable development and in celebration of the United Nations Year on Education for Sustainable Development (2005), recommends that the secretariat of the Forum, together with the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF and UNESCO, explore the possibility of organizing a regional workshop in Asia or Africa on the theme “Indigenous children and language education”, to discuss policies, programmes and practical experiences with bilingual education to strengthen additive learning through the use of mother tongue and the “indigenization” of curricula in formal schooling, among members of the Forum, United Nations agencies, Governments (especially departments of education), indigenous and tribal representatives and indigenous education experts.

Area of Work: Education, Traditional Knowledge
Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 9 (2010)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum recommends that the International Council on Mining and Metals provide a list of and invite members of the Forum, members of affected indigenous peoples and indigenous experts to visit the project sites for the purpose of reporting back to the Forum at its tenth session.

Area of Work: Environment
Paragraph Number: 20
Session: 10 (2011)
Full Text:

OHCHR, the secretariat of the Permanent Forum, ILO, the World Bank Group and other relevant United Nations entities, including United Nations country teams, should focus on increasing the understanding of indigenous peoples’ underlying material rights to land and the need to give material rights priority over process rights. These agencies should undertake analytical work on how the intensity and exclusivity criteria that are commonly encompassed in domestic property rights systems could be understood in the context of international human rights standards related to indigenous property rights.

Area of Work: Environment
Paragraph Number: 27
Session: 7 (2008)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum calls on all United Nations agencies and States to support the reclamation of traditional practices and laws leading to global solutions to climate change.

Area of Work: Environment
Paragraph Number: 20
Session: 7 (2008)
Full Text:

The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, university research centres and relevant United Nations agencies conduct further studies on the impacts of climate change and climate change responses on indigenous peoples who are living in highly fragile ecosystems, such as low-lying coastal areas and small island States; semi-arid and arid lands and dry and sub-humid lands (grasslands); tropical and subtropical forests; and high mountain areas.

Area of Work: Environment