The Forum recommends that courts and judicial bodies take urgent step to ensure the protection of indigenous peoples from threats of the use of physical violence by Governments or paramilitary groups controlled by Governments and non-State actors
The Permanent Forum also welcomes the launching by FAO, during the twenty-seventh session of its Technical Committee on Agriculture, in 2020, of the global hub on indigenous peoples’ food systems. It recommends that FAO continue to facilitate the work of the global hub. In addition, the Permanent Forum welcomes the White/Whipala paper on indigenous peoples’ food systems, which was drafted under the coordination of the global hub, and which has been accepted as one of the scientific papers that will serve to inform constituents at the Summit.
The Forum notes with appreciation decisions VII/16 A-1 of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its ongoing work with respect to traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities covering many areas for future works to be jointly undertaken by the Convention and the Forum.
The Permanent Forum invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and relevant States of the Congo Basin to provide at the eighth session of the Forum, in 2009, specific information on the biosphere reserves project and how they will incorporate the indigenous peoples of the Congo Basin and their respective associations into the implementation of the project.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption of resolution 63/278, by which the General Assembly established International Mother Earth Day and embraces indigenous peoples’ and Member States’ recommendations regarding the need to promote humankind living in harmony with nature. Therefore, the Forum decides to appoint Mr Carlos Mamani Candori and Mr Bartolome Clavero, members of the Forum as Special Rapporteurs, to conduct a study, without financial implications, on its implementation, taking into account, inter alia, the consideration and recognition of Mother Earth rights and submit a report to the ninth session of the Forum in 2010.
The Forum recommends that the Global Fund review their funding strategy in order to include access by indigenous non-governmental organizations and health providers for community-based culturally appropriate HIV/AIDS programmes.
The Permanent Forum recalls the fourth preambular paragraph of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which affirms that all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable and socially unjust. Legal and political justification for the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their lands, their disenfranchisement and the abrogation of their rights such as the doctrine of discovery, the doctrine of domination, “conquest”, “discovery”, terra nullius or the Regalian doctrine were adopted by colonizers throughout the world. While these nefarious doctrines were promoted as the authority for the acquisition of the lands and territories of indigenous peoples, there were broader assumptions implicit in the doctrines, which became the basis for the assertion of authority and control over the lives of indigenous peoples and their lands, territories and resources. Indigenous peoples were constructed as “savages”, “barbarians”, “backward” and “inferior and uncivilized” by the colonizers who used such constructs to subjugate, dominate and exploit indigenous peoples and their lands, territories and resources. The Permanent Forum calls upon States to repudiate such doctrines as the basis for denying indigenous peoples’ human rights.
The Permanent Forum recalls paragraph 41 in its report on its twelfth session (E/2013/43-E/C.19/2013/25) and reaffirms that States should establish a monitoring mechanism to address violence against indigenous peoples, including assassinations, assassination attempts, rapes and other intimidation and persecution against indigenous human rights defenders. Furthermore, with regard to article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Forum recommends that such monitoring mechanisms address the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, and that measures be taken to ensure the full protection of indigenous women against all forms of violence.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism undertake a study on the implications of national security and anti-terrorist laws, policies and programmes for indigenous peoples and make recommendations on the human rights of indigenous peoples.
As stated in its report on its first session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues decided to make indigenous children and youth a focal point of its work in the years to come. The Forum reconfirms its commitment to do so, and acknowledges the efforts made by organizations representing indigenous peoples, United Nations agencies and States in the past year to tackle the urgent needs of the young generation, including the decision of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to declare indigenous children as the subject for its theme day, to be held in September 2003.
During the dialogue with indigenous peoples on the Millennium Development Goals, many indigenous organizations made statements about the urgent need to redefine the Goals. While the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues appreciates that it may not be possible to redefine the Goals, it also recognizes that there is a clear need to redefine approaches to the implementation of the Goals so as to include the perspectives, concerns, experiences and world views of indigenous peoples. Statements also confirmed that there was a need for indigenous peoples to provide their own definitions of poverty and development and that there should be full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in the implementation of the Goals.
The Permanent Forum reiterates the importance of preparatory processes at all levels for bringing different perspectives to the World Conference and building a spirit of partnership, inclusion and respect, and calls upon Member States, indigenous peoples and United Nations organizations, funds and programmes to work together at the national, regional and international levels.