The Permanent Forum recommends that joint regional and/or thematic preparatory conferences, workshops or other events be organized with the support of Member States, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and indigenous peoples, with the full participation of indigenous peoples and Member States, as well as the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Permanent Forum.
The Permanent Forum recommends to the President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly the continuation of the practice, established during the sixty-sixth session of the Assembly, of appointing a State representative and an indigenous peoples’ representative to conduct inclusive informal consultations on his behalf in order to build consensus on the themes of the round table and panel discussions and the content of the outcome document of the World Conference, as well as to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in the process.
The Permanent Forum recalls General Assembly resolution 66/296 and recommends that the President of the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly organize an informal interactive hearing, back-to-back with, but separate from, the thirteenth session of the Forum. This will ensure that those representatives of indigenous peoples who are attending the Forum are also able to participate in the informal interactive hearing without the need to return to New York at a later date and incur further travel and other related expenditures.
With a view to assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of policies on indigenous peoples, the Permanent Forum recommends to the United Nations entities that carry out free, prior and informed consent processes to develop a system for comprehensively documenting these processes.
Further, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal on ensuring access to affordable and modern energy for all (Goal 7) is posing threats as well as providing opportunities for indigenous peoples. The Permanent Forum encourages States to work with indigenous peoples to develop guidelines for responsible renewable energy development.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation made at its eighteenth session for the Pan American Health Organization to prepare a study on the advancements in indigenous maternal health, including with the participation of indigenous midwives (E/2019/43, para. 45). The Permanent Forum also recommends that WHO prepare similar studies in other regions.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the importance of exploring possibilities for strengthening cooperation with the human rights treaty bodies on issues of relevance to its mandate. The Permanent Forum therefore invites the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies each to designate a representative to participate in the twenty-second session of the Permanent Forum, to be held in 2023.
The Permanent Forum recognizes the efforts of WIPO to support Indigenous Peoples in taking part in its processes, including through training programmes and support from its voluntary fund for Indigenous Peoples. It urges WIPO and its member States to ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in meetings, including the Diplomatic Conference in 2024 and its related preparatory meetings, on one or more international legal instruments relating to traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expression, genetic resources and folklore.
The inclusion and full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, as beneficiaries and partners in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, while avoiding negative impacts on their rights are essential. The Permanent Forum recommends that States and relevant United Nations entities cooperate with Indigenous Peoples to fully consider their situations during the midpoint review at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in 2023, including in the preparations at the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its call upon African Member States to extend invitations to the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other mandate holders to conduct country visits to foster transparent and constructive dialogue. The Forum notes the invitations from the Governments of Namibia and the United Republic of Tanzania to the Special Rapporteur to undertake country visits and invites Member States to provide financial support to realize these visits.