The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women must guarantee equal access and non-discrimination of Indigenous women in respect of its communications procedure under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. States are encouraged to report annually on their progress in implementing general recommendation No. 39.
The Permanent Forum urges the representatives and institutions of Indigenous Peoples to submit candidates, especially Indigenous women, for the Working Group on Business and Human Rights of the Human Rights Council. It also encourages the Forum on Business and Human Rights to establish an ad hoc committee for Indigenous Peoples during the nineteenth cycle of the Human Rights Council. The Permanent Forum invites relevant mechanisms of the Human Rights Council to devote attention in their reports to the situation of Indigenous women and children.
States must ensure equitable and direct access to funding for Indigenous women’s organizations, with a view to enhancing their participation and leadership in decision-making processes.
The Permanent Forum acknowledges the commitment by Australia to develop a national action plan to address violence against Indigenous women and children – a milestone championed by Indigenous women. The Forum urges Australia to meet that commitment and provide sufficient resources to implement the plan and calls upon other States to adopt similar strategies.
Forced sterilizations and coerced contraception campaigns are serious violations of reproductive health rights, disproportionately targeting Indigenous women and adolescents worldwide. These practices often stem from systemic racism, colonial ideologies and attempts to control population growth. States must adopt a human rights-based approach to investigate and address these practices. In addition, the Human Rights Council, at its fifty-ninth session, is urged to establish a commission of inquiry – grounded in free, prior and informed consent and Indigenous-run health systems – to document the global impact of such practices.
Recognizing the dangers of mercury and other harmful contaminants in the context of extractive industries, the Permanent Forum urges States to implement comprehensive monitoring and regulation of toxic contaminants on the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples, including the restoration of sites and water resources that have been affected. It highlights the urgent need to address the severe impact on the health of Indigenous women and children, including neurological damage from prenatal or dietary exposure, and calls for effective interventions and remediation from health and environmental impacts.
Indigenous women and children are disproportionately affected by military occupation and armed conflict, which result in, among other things, forced displacement, gender-based violence, trafficking in persons, sexual violence, forced marriage and abduction. These actions are prohibited under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Permanent Forum calls for the United Nations system, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the humanitarian aid sector to ensure that targeted assistance is offered to Indigenous Peoples. The Forum also urges Member States to end impunity and prosecute perpetrators.
There has been growing recognition of the need for formal United Nations mechanisms that ensure Indigenous Peoples’ meaningful participation in global governance. These platforms must respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, governance, and decision-making bodies, systems and institutions. The Permanent Forum will continue to advise States, Indigenous Peoples and United Nations entities to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ roles in multilateral processes.
The Permanent Forum strongly encourages United Nations entities to engage directly with Indigenous Peoples where applicable, including at the national and local levels, even in countries where Indigenous Peoples are not officially recognized. This approach aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the right to self-identification and can ensure that programmes are inclusive, culturally appropriate and responsive to Indigenous Peoples’ needs.
The Permanent Forum urges all United Nations entities to institutionalize engagement with Indigenous Peoples in high-level events. The Forum also encourages the Conferences of the Parties to the Rio conventions to invite the Forum to participate in negotiations in its capacity as an advisory body within the United Nations system.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States, and the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat’s permanent subsidiary body on article 8 (j), in its new work programme, to include Indigenous Peoples’ leadership at all levels, including as Co- Chairs, working group leads, expert groups and Bureau members from the seven sociocultural regions. The Forum reiterates its call upon United Nations entities and the Parties to biodiversity and climate agreements to recognize the distinct identities and specific rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum encourages the use of accurate and differentiated terminology and recommends avoiding the combined or interchangeable use of the terms “Indigenous Peoples” and “local communities” as a single category.
The Permanent Forum calls upon Mongolia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Convention to Combat Desertification secretariat to ensure the meaningful participation of representatives of Indigenous pastoralists in the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralism (General Assembly resolution 76/253) and in all related events and processes. Adequate and sustained funding must be secured for Indigenous Peoples’ participation.
