The Permanent Forum welcomes the first indigenous media zone, established at the sixteenth session of the Forum, and encourages the continuation of this initiative at future sessions, in cooperation with indigenous community media, and, where possible, encourages United Nations entities to continue collaboration with indigenous community media at the regional and national levels.
Considering that 2008 is the International Year of Languages, the Permanent Forum recommends holding an expert group meeting on indigenous languages that will call upon States, the United Nations system and indigenous peoples and their organizations to consider the following elements:(a)Working towards concrete actions and legislative development aimed at eliminating discrimination against the current use of indigenous languages;(b)Developing programmes aimed at promoting the empowerment of indigenous languages through all mediums, including radio and television;(c)Supporting and increasing the number of centres for the study of indigenous languages;(d)Financing and supporting schemes for special projects that are formulated by indigenous peoples and are focused on revitalization and rescue of threatened languages;(e) Designing, in consultation with indigenous peoples and the Permanent Forum, the organization of a world conference on linguistic diversity, indigenous languages, identity and education, as a contribution to the programme of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.
The Forum recommends that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with multilateral and regional agencies and indigenous organizations, lead the mainstreaming of indigenous issues and concerns in poverty reduction strategies at the country level. In view of the decreasing support to pastoral and semi-nomadic groups in Africa, the Forum recommends that IFAD initiate programmes in support of these groups and submit its planned work programme to the Forum at its fourth session.
The Permanent Forum recommends that FAO organize dialogues for indigenous peoples in such areas as the Arctic, North America, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, and the Pacific region to support indigenous peoples in preparing for the Summit.
The Permanent Forum decides to authorize a three-day international expert group workshop on indigenous peoples’ rights, corporate accountability and the extractive industries, and requests that the results of the meeting be reported to the Forum at its eighth session, in 2009. The report of that workshop can feed into the eighteenth and nineteenth sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which will address the themes of mining, chemicals, waste management and sustainable consumption and production patterns, and contribute to the review by the eighteenth session of the Commission.
On the basis of the constructive dialogue between the Permanent Forum and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, the Forum recommends that the members of the Support Group demonstrate strong commitment from the highest level, including by: (a) Institutionalizing dialogue between the expert members of the Forum and the principals of the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system; (b) Allocating sufficient resources to implement the system-wide action plan for ensuring a coherent approach to achieving the ends of the United Nations Declaration; (c) Establishing institutional consultation mechanisms to ensure active collaboration and partnership with indigenous peoples at the national, regional and global levels, in both developing and developed countries; (d) Incorporating specific targets and indicators with disaggregated data to address the key issues and priorities of indigenous peoples at the national level; (e) Ensuring active cooperation between the Support Group and Forum members holding relevant agency portfolios.
The Forum recommends that the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sponsor a workshop to discuss the merits and mechanisms for the establishment of a working group on indigenous peoples within the Conference of the Parties process, ensuring the participation of indigenous peoples from developed and undeveloped countries as well as interested member States.
A recommendation for expert group meeting on water to carry out a close review and assessment of water allocation, regulation and access policies that affect the rights and health of indigenous peoples and to explore and establish indicators of water well-being for indigenous nations and the world community.
The Forum invites UNDP and the Statistical Branch of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to present a report at the 2004 session of the Forum, setting forth the progress made to date on the Millennium Development Goals, with special focus on alleviating poverty and its affects on indigenous peoples and communities.
The Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur on the right to health pay special attention in his work to the right to health as contained in treaties between indigenous peoples and States.
The Permanent Forum recommends that donors, including the European Union, the European Commission, the Department of State of the United States of America, human rights support organizations and others provide long-term funding, legal aid and other resources to assist indigenous human rights defenders, their families, networks and communities.
The active participation of indigenous peoples and indigenous organizations should be ensured when matters affecting their rights are discussed by the Human Rights Council and any subsidiary bodies or processes that it decides to establish.