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.
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.