E/2018/43*-E/C.19/2018/11*
United Nations
Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues
Report on the seventeenth session (16–27 April 2018)
Economic and Social Council
Official Records, 2018
Supplement No.
23
|
Economic and Social Council
Official Records, 2018
Supplement No. 23
|
E/2018/43*-E/C.19/2018/11*
|
Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues
Report on the seventeenth session (16–27 April 2018)
United Nations • New
York, 2018
* Reissued for technical reasons
on 18 June 2018.
Note
Symbols of
United Nations documents are composed of letters combined with figures. Mention
of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document.
ISSN 1728-0060
Contents
|
Chapter
|
Page
|
|
I. Matters
calling for action by the Economic
and Social Council or brought
to its attention
. . .
A.
Draft decisions recommended
by the Permanent Forum for adoption
by the Council . . . .
I.
International expert group
meeting on the theme
“Conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples” . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.
II.
Venue and dates for
the eighteenth session of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III.
Report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on its seventeenth session
and provisional agenda for its eighteenth session . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
B.
Matters brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
II. Venue, dates and proceedings of the session . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
|
22
|
|
III. Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its seventeenth session . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.
|
24
|
|
IV. Organization of the session . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
A. Opening and duration of the session . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
B. Attendance . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.
C. Election of officers . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
D. Agenda . . . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
E. Documentation
|
25
|
|
25
|
|
|
25
|
|
|
25
|
|
|
26
|
|
|
26
|
Chapter I
Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social
Council or brought to its attention
A. Draft decisions recommended by the Permanent Forum for adoption by the Council
1.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues recommends
to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft decisions:
Draft decision I
International expert group meeting on the theme
“Conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples”
The Economic and
Social Council decides to authorize
a three -day international expert
group meeting on the theme “Conservation
and
the rights of
indigenous peoples”.
Draft decision II
Venue and dates for the eighteenth session of the
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The Economic and
Social Council decides that the eighteenth
session of the Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues shall be held at United Nations Headquarters from 22 April to 3 May 2019.
Draft decision III
Report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on
its seventeenth session and provisional agenda for its eighteenth session
The Economic and Social Council:
(a)
Takes note of the report of
the Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues on its seventeenth session;1
(b)
Approves the provisional agenda for the eighteenth session of the Permanent Forum as set out below:
1.
Election of officers.
2.
Adoption of the agenda and organization
of work.
3.
Follow-up to the recommendations
of the Permanent Forum.
4.
Implementation of the six mandated areas
of the Permanent Forum with reference to the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
5.
Discussion on the 2019
International Year
of Indigenous Languages
6.
Dialogue with indigenous peoples: collective rights to lands, territories and resources
7.
Dialogue with Member States.
8.
Dialogue with the funds, programmes and specialized
agencies of the United
Nations system.
9.
Discussion on the theme “Traditional knowledge: generation, transmission and protection”.
10. 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
11.
Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
12.
Follow-up to the outcome
document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples:
(a)
Implementation of national action plans, strategies and other measures;
(b)
Ways to enhance the participation
of indigenous peoples at the United Nations;
(c)
Implementation of the United Nations system-wide action plan on indigenous peoples.
13. Regional dialogues between indigenous peoples
and Member States.
14.
Future work of the Permanent Forum,
including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues.
15. Provisional
agenda for the nineteenth session.
16.
Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its eighteenth session.
B. Matters brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council
2.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has identified
the proposals, objectives, recommendations and areas of possible future action set out below and, through the Economic
and Social Council, recommends that States, entities of the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations , indigenous peoples, the private sector and non-governmental organizations assist in their realization.
3.
It is the understanding of the secretariat of the Permanent Forum
that those proposals,
objectives, recommendations and areas of possible future act ion to be carried
out by the United Nations, as set out below, will be implemented to the extent possible within the context of the approved
programme of work of the relevant entities.
Recommendations of the Permanent Forum
Discussion on the theme “Indigenous peoples’
collective rights to lands, territories and resources”
4.
The rights to lands, territories and resources are at the heart of indigenous peoples’ struggles around the world. Indigenous peoples’ relationships
to their ancestral lands are the source of their
cultural, spiritual and social identity, the foundation upon which their traditional knowledge systems have developed and the cornerstone of their physical and economic well -being.
5.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Ind igenous
Peoples recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination (arts. 3–4), their collective rights to own and control their
lands and resources (arts. 25–27), their right
to free, prior and informed
consent in relation
to legislation, me asures and projects
that may have an impact on
their rights (arts. 10–11, 19,
28–29 and 32) and their
right to participate in decision-making
processes (arts. 5, 18 and 27). These rights are further
enshrined in the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) of the International Labour Organization and in expanding jurisprudence developed by
human rights treaty bodies, the Inter-American
Court of Human Rights and
the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
6.
Positive developments have been achieved in setting international human rights standards for the rights of indigenous
peoples to lands,
territories and resources,
including by regional human rights mechanisms in Africa and the Americas. The Permanent Forum welcomes those developments, including the recent decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in the case of the Ogiek community in Kenya. The Forum encourages indigenous peoples and States to engage further with regional mechanisms and to implement their decisions effe ctively.
7.
A number of States
have recognized the collective
rights of indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources
through constitutional or legal protection , adjudication, constructive agreements
with indigenous peoples or administrative
programmes. Countries that
have taken steps in that
direction include Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Canada, the Congo,
Denmark, Ecuador, Indonesia,
New Zealand (Aotearoa), Norway and the Philippines.
In other countries, including Australia, Colombia and the United
States of America, tracts of land and/or territories have
been set aside for collective
indigenous control. The
Permanent Forum welcomes this progress, although there remains a wide gap between
formal recognition and actual implementation.
8.
In countries
in which such rights are recognized,
they are not fully implemented, or procedures for the implementation of those rights, such as land or resource mapping, demarcation and titling, have often not been completed, suffer significant delays or are shelved. The lack of enforcement of laws, as well as contradictory laws and regulations, frequently results in the de facto denial of the rights accorded to indigenous peoples. The Permanent Forum commends States for recognizing the collective rights of indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources and at the same time urges
them to take immediate steps for the implementation of those rights through programmes for mapping, titling or other actions and legislative reforms. The Forum urges States to report to it by its twentieth
session on steps taken in that regard.
9.
A majority of States
have yet to grant official recognition to indigenous peoples, let alone their collective
rights to lands, territories and resources. The Permanent Forum expresses its grave concern
about the non-recognition of indigenous
peoples, in particular
in Africa and Asia, and recommends
that States incorporate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples into national legislation, policies and programmes.
10.
The Permanent Forum stresses that ensuring the collective rights of indigenous peoples to lands,
territories and resources is not only for their well -being,
but also for addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, such as climate change and environmental degradation. Advancing those rights is an effective w ay to protect
critical ecosystems, waterways and biological
diversity.
11.
The Permanent Forum emphasizes that achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals is not possible without fulfilling the rights of indigenous
peoples to lands,
territories and resources. The
Forum thus calls upon States to include the recognition of customary
rights or tenure of indigenous
peoples to their lands and resources under
target 3 of Sustainable
Development Goal 2,
which calls for secure and equal
access to land.
12.
The Permanent Forum calls on States, in consultation with indigenous peoples, to establish national judicial institutions tasked with identifying
lands, waters, coastal waters and other resources to which
the indigenous peoples concerned
have established ownership and
usufruct rights, and to demarcate such
lands and resources.
13.
The Permanent Forum draws attention to the
number of reports, from around the world, of acts of intimidation and reprisal, including restrictions on the ability of representatives of indigenous
peoples to attend the Forum’s sessions.
Indigenous leaders and
human rights defenders face disproportionately
high rates of intimidation and reprisal, as shown by various
studies, including by the Special
Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights defenders.
14.
Given that the United Nations relies on the cooperation of the people whom it serves and that everyone, individually and in association with others, has the right to unhindered access to and communication with the Organization, the Permanen t Forum requests the
Secretary-General, through the
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and
in consultation with other relevant United Nations mechanisms, to report
on trends related to intimidation
and reprisals against indigenous
peoples who seek to engage
with the United Nations, including by providing
suggestions to prevent and
address reprisals through reporting from all parts of
the United Nations system and with input from
indigenous peoples, to the Forum
at its eighteenth session, in 2019.2
15.
The Permanent Forum continues to be concerned
that the World Bank ’s new environmental and social safeguard 7 allows the
conversion of the collective territories of indigenous peoples into individual
ownership rights, even though it recognizes the importance
of protecting the collective attachment of indigenous
peoples to their lands. Providing funding for States
to divide the lands of indigenous peoples generates conflict, irreparably harms livelihoods and traditional
resource management strategies and erodes the governance
structures of indigenous
peoples. Paragraph 29 of environmental and social safeguard 7 should urgently be revised to ensure
that indigenous peoples maintain their collective
rights to lands, territories and resources
in all projects funded by the Bank.
16.
The Forum reiterates its request to the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators to make the land
-related indicator operational, including on changing land use and the security of land tenure in the traditional territories
of indigenous peoples.
17.
The Permanent Forum urges all agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system to incorporate the recognition of the collective rights of indigenous peoples to lands,
territories and resources into t heir policies and
programmes at the country level and to report to the Forum on progress made at its eighteenth session.
18.
The Permanent Forum expresses
its concern for the indigenous peoples of certain African countries, who continue to be victims of violations
of their rights to
lands, territories and resources.
Multiple threats and obstacles hinder their social, economic, political
and legal development, including discrimination and marginalization;
lack of rights to land and natural and
productive res ources;
denial and lack of access to
justice; violations of cultural
rights; denial of the rights to
legal recognition, political representation and participation; lack of access
to basic social services; denial of
the right to existence
and self-development; violence
against indigenous individuals and communities, including rape of indigenous women; and
multiple-impact land conflicts arising from development and conservation
projects that fail to take into account the rights and interests of indigenous
peo ples.
19.
Recalling articles 3–4, 8, 18, 25–26 and 32 of the Declaration, the Permanent Forum
urges African States to promote,
recognize and protect the
collective rights of indigenous
peoples to their lands,
territories and resources through
the developme nt of mechanisms to ensure the legal recognition of land and resource rights, the resolution
of land disputes, fair and equitable redress, and the creation of permanent
dialogue frameworks to facilitate
political participation and representation of indigenous peoples in decision-making.
20.
The Permanent Forum urges States to provide information to it on developments relating to the collective rights of indigenous
peoples and constructive agreements with indigenous peoples at its eighteenth session, includi ng the following:
(a)
Effective measures taken to halt land
alienation in the territories of indigenous peoples;
(b)
Financial and technical assistance provided to indigenous peoples to map the boundaries of their communal
lands;
(c)
Legal and policy frameworks
that have been implemented for the registration of collective titles;
(d)
National legislation adopted with the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples when such legislation involves their territories, lands and natural resources.
21.
The Permanent Forum requests all States to include developments relating to the rights
of indigenous peoples in their regular reports to the Human Rights
Council under the
universal periodic review mechanism.
International expert group meeting on the theme “Sustainable development in the territories of indigenous peoples”
22.
Based on a recommendation of the Permanent
Forum, the United Nations organized an international
expert group meeting on the theme “Sustainable development in the territories
of indigenous peoples” in January
2018. The meeting recommended that the Forum should give special consideration to the experience of indigenous peoples with
autonomy and constructive
arrangements in their
expression of self-determination, including through a compilation and dissemination of good
practices.
23.
The expert group meeting further recommended that the Permanent Forum should explore opportunities to work with and support indigenous peoples ’ mechanisms that engage with international processes, su ch as
the indigenous peoples major group (2030 Agenda), the International
Indigenous Peoples ’ Forum on Climate Change (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change) and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity
(Convention on Biological
Diversity). These are key engagement mechanisms to ensure the inclusion
of indigenous peoples and their contribution
in key global decision -making
processes which could be strengthened
through enhanced engagement with the Permanent Forum at
its annual sessions and
throughout the year.
Conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples
24.
The Permanent Forum expresses
concern that conservation
programmes based on the concept of excluding
human beings from the environment have had negative consequences
on the rights of indigenous peoples through forced
evictions and other
harms, while their natural custodianship of the environment and
ecosystems has been unrecognized.
25.
The Permanent Forum urges the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity to undertake, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, a study on the contributions
of indigenous peoples to the management of ecosystems and the protection
of biodiversity, and submit a report to the Forum by its nineteenth session.
26.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that the secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity and the International
Union for Conservation of Nature actively engage with indigenous organizations, relevant U nited Nations
entities, non-governmental organizations and other actors to develop
a set of actions and
commitments in relation
to conservation and human rights
in the context of the post-2020
biodiversity framework and the next
World Conservation Congress.
27.
The Permanent Forum requests the Global Environment Facility, as well as other
funding mechanisms, to prioritize support for conservation approaches that are
led or co-managed by indigenous peoples.
28.
The Permanent Forum calls on States to enter into discussions with indigenous peoples whose traditional lands are now incorporated in protected
areas, with a view to reaching
binding agreements that will
not only acknowledge the legitimate interests of wildlife conservation but also recognize
and guarantee the right s of
those communities under articles 8
(2), 18,
19, 26 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.
29.
The Permanent Forum calls on international donors to engage in dialogue with indigenous peoples with the aim of developing an approach to conservation based on recognition of and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.
30.
The Permanent Forum invites the Expert Mechanism
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous
peoples to strengthen collaboration in charting ways forward in promoting
conservation models that recognize and respect the rights of indigenous peoples.
31.
The Permanent Forum invites the Expert Mechanism
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, at its forthcoming meeting on transitional justice, to examine opportunities
for restitution in the context of historic conservation
-related evictions and other harms.
32.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States to reform the agreements of intergovernmental
conservation organizations, such as the North
Atlantic Salmon Conservation
Organization, to comply with the principles of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.
Implementation of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages
33.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the work carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in preparation for the 2019 International Year of Indigenous
Languages and welcomes
and supports the action plan for the International Year
that was developed in cooperation
with Member States, the Forum,
the Special Rapporteur on the rights
of indigenous peoples and the Expert
Mechanism on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, as well as indigenous
peoples and a range
of different stakeholders. The
Forum calls upon Member States to implement
the action plan in partnership with indigenous peoples, respecting the
principle of “nothing about us without us”, including the establishment
of national steering committees and national action plans for the International
Year. States should allocate adequate funding for the successful implementation
of the International Year.
34.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that indigenous peoples, as the rightful owners and custodians of their own languages,
initiate and develop their own action
plans and appropriate
measures for the International Year and awareness-raising campaigns to draw attention to
the situation
of indigenous languages.
35.
The Permanent Forum invites the General Assembly to request th
at UNESCO report on activities
carried out during the International Year, and subsequent impacts and
follow-up activities
after 2019, at its seventy-fifth session.
36.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that UNESCO, in active collaboration
with other relevant
United Nations entities, organize
as a major event of the International
Year a world conference or high-level event on indigenous
languages, which would be preceded
by regional conferences, and encourages
Member States to support
its organization. The Forum emphasizes
that all events organized to mark
the International Year must include
the full and effective participation of indigenous
peoples.
37.
The Permanent Forum recommends that United
Nations entities, including
the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous
Peoples’ Issues, take effective measures to support the promotion
of indigenous languages and the successful
implementation of the goals
and objectives of the International Year, including in activities related to the implementation
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the system- wide
action plan on the rights
of indigenous peoples, the
celebration of international days and other processes.
38.
The Permanent Forum urges the Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy on indigenous languages, in consultation
with indigenous peoples.
39.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States to establish permanent financing
structures for ensuring the protection of the language initiatives
of indigenous peoples, such as the Giellagáldu project in Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Women, youth and children
40.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that the Commission on the Status of Women organize
a high-level interactive dialogue on the rights
of indigenous women, to coincide with
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
Fourth World Conference on Women, in 2020, to review
progress made towards the Sustainable Development
Goals with a focus on linkages with
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum invites Member States, in co operation
with indigenous peoples’ organizations and with the support
of the United Nations system, to conduct
preparatory processes, with the full and effective participation of indigenous women of all ages.
41.
The Permanent Forum expresses considerable concern with the disparity between indigenous and national maternal mortality rates in many countries and encourages Member States to incorporate an intercultural approach to sexual and
reproductive health services and promoting the
inclusion of indigenous
health workers. The Permanent Forum invites Member States to seek the support
of the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and other
relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system in taking
forward this recommendation
and in strengthening the disaggregation
of data by ethnicity, in the area of sexual and
reproductive health and reproductive
rights, in the 2020 census round to strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
42.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that agencies, funds and programmes of the United
Nations system, in collaboration with indigenous peoples ’ organizations,
monitor the high levels of
global violence and threats
directed at indigenous women human rights defenders. The Forum calls for an immediate halt
to the criminalization, incarceration,
intimidation, coercion and assassination of, and death threats to, all indigenous human and environmental rights defenders.
43.
The Permanent Forum calls for the implementation on the Convention on th e Rights
of the Child, which gives clear guidance to States
on the need for them to
minimize childhood exposure to
toxic chemicals through water, food,
air and other sources of exposure. It
is critical that environmental regulators be educated specifically
regarding article 24 of the Convention.
Health
44.
Existing conventions governing the use and disposal of toxic chemicals and wastes do not adequately protect the rights of the world ’s most vulnerable, including indigenous peoples, who disproportionately suffer from their indiscriminate and irresponsible use.
45.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the preliminary report of the Special Rapporteur
on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, which
was presented at the current
session, in accordance with recommendation 46 of the Forum at its sixteenth session, and invites the Special Rapporteur to present
his final report to the Forum at
its eighteenth session.
46.
The Forum recommends that the International Conference on Chemicals
Management establish an advisory committee of indigenous
peoples in its intersessional
process for considering the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management and the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020.
47.
The Forum recommends the creation of a global, legally binding
regime for toxic
industrial chemicals and hazardous pesticides,
the vast majority of which are
currently unregulated under existing conventions,
to protect the rights
of everyone, including indigenous peoples, from the grave threats to
human rights presented by the ongoing
chemical intensification of the global economy. Such a regime should have strong accountability and compliance mechanisms and be in conformity with international human rights
standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.
48.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption, in 2017, of the first policy on ethnicity and health by the States members of the Pan A merican Health Organization (PAHO) and invites the
World Health Organization (WHO) to
follow this initiative and expand on this work at the global level. The Forum also notes the initiative
of PAHO/WHO to develop
a strategy and plan of action
on ethnicity and health for
the Americas, the implementation
of a health plan for indigenous youth in Latin America and the launch of the Virtual
Health Library on Traditional,
Complementary and Integrative Medicine for the
Americas, and invites PAHO/WHO
to report to t he Forum at
its eighteenth session on progress achieved.
49.
The cultural and clinical knowledge
of traditional indigenous midwives and their contributions to the well-being and positive
health outcomes of indigenous peoples are largely unacknowledged in national
health systems. Indigenous midwives work tirelessly to improve maternal and infant
health throughout a person ’s reproductive
life cycle and, in particular, during pregnancy, birth and the post
-partum period.
50.
Despite this critical role, community-regulated indigenous midwifery is often undermined and actively criminalized, to the detriment of the health of indigenous peoples. To close the gap between
indigenous and non -indigenous health outcomes, the practice of indigenous midwifery must be supported by state health
policy and integration. The right of indigenous peoples to self-determination
extends to their reproductive health, and States should put an end to the criminalization of indigenous
midwifery and make the necessary legislative and regulatory
amendments to legitimize indigenous midwives who are recognized by their communities as health
- care providers. States should also support
the education of new traditional indigenous midwives via multiple
routes of education, including apprenticeship s and the oral
transmission of knowledge.
51.
The Permanent Forum reiterates previous recommendations that WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNFPA, as well as regional health
organizations and Governments, fully incorporate a cultural
perspective into health policies and programmes and reproductive
health services aimed at providing
indigenous women with quality health care, including emergency obstetric
care, voluntary family planning and skilled attendance at birth.
The roles of tradi tional midwives should be re-evaluated
and expanded so that they may
assist indigenous women during their reproductive health processes
and act as cultural brokers between health systems and indigenous peoples.
52.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that the WHO End TB Strategy and the Global Partnership to Stop Tuberculosis,
in collaboration with UNFPA,
PAHO and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, organize an expert group meeting on tuberculosis
by 2020 to analyse the
sociocultural an d economic
determinants of health for
the prevention, care and treatment
of tuberculosis in indigenous communities, with the cooperation
of the Forum, in order to ensure
the realization of target 3 of
Sustainable Development Goal 3. The Forum
also recommends the review
of the Moscow Declaration to End TB, which considers
indigenous peoples to be disproportionately
affected by tuberculosis.
53.
The Permanent Forum appreciates
the steps taken by the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNFPA and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues for the organization
of an international workshop on indigenous peoples and HIV/AIDS, and calls on Member States and United Nations entities to contribute to the workshop.
54.
The Permanent Forum is concerned that, across the globe, indigenous
women and adolescents face persistent inequalities and stigma, especially in relation
to maternal health and maternal
mortality, yet the lack of data in this area
renders them invisible and presents a major barrier to efforts to address the
issue. Indigenous
women are overwhelmingly less likely to have received health -care
services. Indigenous women are three
times more likely to have had no antenatal
care and twice as likely to
give birth without a skilled birth
attendant, and have a significantly
higher adolescent birth rate. This is directly related to the poverty, discrimination and marginalization that indigenous women frequently face.
55.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the study presented by UNFPA, in collaboration
with CHIRAPAQ (Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú), entitled “Progress and challenges
regarding the recommendations of the Forum on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence”.
56.
The Permanent Forum invites UNFPA to make efforts to disseminate
the findings of the study at
the global, regional and
country levels among Member
States, United Nations mechanisms and indigenous organizations. The Forum also invites UNFPA to engage in concerted dialogue with the nine Member States that were part
of the study on next steps to put into action the
recommendations of the study,
and to report to the Forum at
its eighteenth session on progress made .
Culture
57.
The Permanent Forum encourages
UNESCO, States, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and indigenous
peoples to continue to engage
in active dialogue aimed at achieving recognition
of the rights of indigenous peoples to repatriation of their human remains and
sacred items, in accordance
with the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples and articles
11 and 12 of the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum
reiterates its call for a
new United Nations mechanism for international repatriation.
58.
The Permanent Forum is concerned that the WIPO Voluntary Fund for Accredited Indigenous and Local Communities is depleted,
and emphasizes the critical importance of the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in the negotiations of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore in accordance with article 41 of the Declaration. To that end, the Forum strongly
encourages the Member States of WIPO to contribute to the WIPO Voluntary Fund and invites them to explore and identify innovative ways of raising funds for the Fund, including through use of the regular budget of WIPO. The
Forum also recommends that WIPO increase the number of indigenous participants through the regular budget and allow their full and effective participation in the negotiations.
Environment
59.
The Permanent Forum heard from many indigenous
peoples who expressed their concern regarding
States granting concessions for extractive
industries, infrastructure projects, large-scale agriculture or hydroelectric dams without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous
peoples. This has led to inevitable social, economic and cultural
conflicts between governments and indigenous peoples such as those concerning the Arctic Railway
in Finland. The Forum reiterates that the Member States must act in compliance with international human rights standards, including through
adequate consultations with affected ind igenous peoples, respecting the right to their free,
prior and informed consent at all stages while
also ensuring mitigation measures, compensation and fair
and equitable benefit
-sharing.
60.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its concern over environmental vi olence,
in particular the pervasive impacts
of such violence on indigenous women and girls. The Forum takes note with appreciation of the recommendations from the third International Indigenous Women’s Symposium
on Environment and Reproductive Health, held at Columbia
University in New York on 14 and 15
April 2018. The Forum recommends that members of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues and the relevant special procedures of the Human Rights
Council consider ways
to address and incorporate the recommendations from that Symposium.
Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
61.
Human rights defenders are increasingly targeted as terrorists
for promoting and protecting decades-old guaranteed rights. This alarming trend is seen in every region. Even the Special
Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli - Corpuz; former
expert member of the Permanent Forum Joan Ca rling; and
former member of the Expert
Mechanism on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples José Molintas, have been declared terrorists in a petition
by the Government of the Philippines.
The Forum rejects this dangerous precedent and calls on the Government
of the
Philippines to remove
their names, and the names of other indigenous
leaders, from the petition
and to ensure their safety as they
continue promoting and protecting
the rights of indigenous peoples. Further, the Forum urges the Government
of the Philippines to repeal the
Human Security Act, comply with
its international human rights
obligations and pursue its
commitments under the Comprehensive
Agreement on Respect for
Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Law.
62.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that relevant special procedures of the Human Rights
Council collaborate with each other and with other human
rights bodies to address the situation of indigenous
human rights defenders
through monitoring, mediation, analysis and the provision of concrete r ecommendations for the effective
protection of indigenous human rights defenders.
63.
The Permanent Forum requests
the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, with the support of the secretariat
of the Forum, to expand and
strengthen the United Nations response
to reprisals and threats
faced by indigenous human rights
and environmental defenders by enhancing high-level engagement on reprisals,
ensuring appropriate action on urgent cases
when reprisals occur.
64.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the participation, at its seventeenth
session, of the Working
Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating
human rights and impeding the
exercise of the right
of peoples to self -determination
and invites the Working Group
to conduct a study on private
militaries and security
companies in extractive
industries and agribusiness and their impact on the human
and collective rights of indigenous
peoples.
65.
The Permanent Forum takes note with concern of the situation of indigenous peoples of the Sahel and other parts of Africa, where a number of
factors, including climate change, are having
a devastating impact on economic
development and human
security. The lack
of recognition of the collective rights of these peoples has
created fertile ground for their
loss of territories and resources and
the emergence of complex
forms of conflict, including violent extremism. The Forum
calls on the Working Group
on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa of the African Commission
on Human and Peoples’ Rights to prepare
recommendations for the consideration of the African Union to address this
situation, in partnership
with the Economic Commission for Africa
and other regional bodies.
66.
The Permanent Forum urges Member States to pay special attention to indigenous
peoples residing in cross-border areas, in accordance with article 36 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and invites
academia, in consultation with the Permanent Forum, to convene a conference
on indigenous peoples divided by international borders. The Forum
invites the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights to initiate
a general comment on
the collective rights of indigenous
peoples to lands, territories and natural resources.
67.
The Permanent Forum urges
the Governments of Colombia and Ecuador to take immediate action to protect the indigenous
peoples whose territories are in the border
area between the two countries. The Forum encourages the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights and the
Special Rapporteur on the
rights of indigenous peoples to work with
the two Governments to address this
situation in close cooperation with the indigenous communities concerned
.
68.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its call to Member States to establish mechanisms and processes
for comprehensive dialogue and consultations
with indigenous peoples in order
to obtain their free, prior and informed consent in relation to any project that will have an impact on
their territories and resources.
In this regard, the Forum expresses
concern regarding the lack of consultation by the Government
of the Plurinational State of Bolivia with the indigenous peoples who will be affected
by the mega-hydroelectric project of El Bala-Chepete
and Rositas, including the Guarani, Mosetén, Tacana, Tsimané, Leco, Ese Ejja and
Uchupiamona peoples. The
Forum urges the Government of the Plurinational
State of Bolivia to respect the fundamental rights of
indigenous peoples and ensure
that they are able to exercise
their rights in accordance with international human rights standards.
69.
Recalling the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur appointed to undertake a study on
the status of implementation
of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of
1997 (E/C.19/2011/6, sect. VIII),
the Forum encourages the Government
of Bangladesh:
(a)
To set a time frame
for the full implementation of the Accord, including
devolution of authority to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council
and three Hil l District Councils;
(b)
To adopt the rules of business for the Chittagong
Hill Tracts Land Commission and allocate
sufficient human and financial resources for the Commission.
Follow-up to the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples
70.
The Permanent Forum regrets that the General Assembly
did not establish a new category
of participation for indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, the Forum acknowledges
the progress made in the implementation
of the outcome document of the World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples and
recognizes the need to
further advance the priorities
clearly set out by indigenous peoples in the Alta outcome
document.
71.
The Permanent Forum acknowledges
the ongoing consultation process to enhance the
participation of indigenous
peoples at the United Nations under the leadership
of the President of the General Assembly and takes note of Assembly
resolution 71/321, which
lays out a process for
continuing the considerat
ion of the participation of indigenous peoples at the United Nations.
72.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the process of the President of the General
Assembly of organizing and presiding over
informal interactive
hearings during the seventy-second,
seventy-third and seventy-fourth
sessions of the
Assembly, on the margins of the sessions of the Forum, to enhance the
participation of representatives
and institutions of indigenous peoples in meetings of
relevant U nited Nations bodies on issues
affecting them, as requested by the General Assembly in
its resolution 71/321.
73.
The Permanent Forum urges the Secretary-General to convene, in
consultation with the Forum
and before its eighteenth
session, regional consultat ions in each of the
seven indigenous regions to discuss
the modalities for the participation
of indigenous people at the United
Nations, including how the participation
of indigenous representatives
can be enhanced. The Forum urges Member States
to support the organization of these regional
consultations.
74.
The Permanent Forum, recognizing
that indigenous
peoples can contribute greatly a range of issues on
the international agenda, encourages the President of the
General Assembly to consider
inviting representatives of indigenous
peoples to other
hearings and events.
75.
The Permanent Forum appreciates
the efforts made by El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay to develop national action plans in consultation with indigenous peoples and encourages them to share best practices. It further
encourages Member States to continue to effectively engage with indigenous peoples at
the national, local and
community levels to develop and implement national action plans,
strategies or other measures to achieve the ends of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
76.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the work done by the United Nations system to implement the United Nations system-wide action plan on the rights
of indigenous peoples and encourages
United Nations country teams to facilitate dialogue between Member States and indigenous
peoples towards the d evelopment of national action plans and other
measures and to report to the
Forum at its eighteenth session on progress made.
77.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the Ibero-American Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ado pted in April 2018 by indigenous peoples and States as members of the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean . The Forum encourages the Fund to share its experiences in other regions of the world.
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
78.
The 2030 Agenda is now in its third year of implementation. The Permanent Forum reiterates that countries undergoing voluntary national reviews at the high - level
political forum on sustainable development should include indigenous peoples in their reviews, reports and delegations and invites
States to report on good
practices to the Forum at
its eighteenth session.
79.
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.
Dialogues with indigenous peoples, Member States and the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system
80.
The Permanent Forum conducted three focused,
interactive dialogue sessions with indigenous peoples, Member States and the funds, program mes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system. Such dialogues provide an opportunity to focus on specific
issues and identify ways
to increase the effectiveness of the work of the Forum. The Forum
finds these dialogues to be of great
value and will continue
to conduct them at future sessions.
81.
The dialogues included
discussions on the criminalization
of the actions of indigenous human rights defenders;
the lack of consultations to obtain the
free, prior and informed
consent of indigenous peoples; the need for effective engagement
of indigenous peoples in the 2030 Agenda; violence
and discrimination against indigenous women, children, youth, older persons and
persons with disabilities
; and the urgent need to revitalize
indigenous languages.
82.
The members of the Forum extend their deepest condolences to the family of
Colten Boushie and express
heartfelt gratitude for their presence
at the Forum session .
83.
The Permanent Forum congratulates
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for its ongoing work with indigenous peoples, including the operationalization of free,
prior and informed consent in its funded
projects, support for national
policy dialogues among indigenous peoples, governments and United Nations country teams and adoption of data disaggregation for indigenous peoples in its revised Results and Impact
Management System.3 The Forum encourages the Fund
3 Available from https://webapps.ifad.org/members/ec/96/docs/EC
-2017-96-W-P-7.pdf.
to develop specific indicators on the well-being of indigenous
peoples, to be applied
in its funded projects. The Forum urges
IFAD to ensure that its high standards and
safeguards are applied
to its co-funded projects initiated by institutions that invest in large infrastructure.
84.
The Permanent Forum requests that entities, agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system allocate relevant financial and human resources
to carry out commitments to indigenous peoples, as
per the system-wide action plan on the rights
of indigenous peoples and respective
strategic plans and programmes and to provide information
to the Forum about the allocation
of such resources at its annual sessions.
85.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women)
strategy of inclusion and visibility of indigenous women, which responds to the system-wide action plan on the rights of indigenous
peoples and the recommendation
of the Forum ( E/2014/43/Corr.1- E/C.19/2014/11/Corr.1, para. 35)
on including the priorities of indigenous women in
global, regional and national
programmes. The Forum encourages
Member States to allocate
sufficient funding for the implementation of the strategy. The Forum
encourages UN-Women to emphasize enhancing
the participation and capacities of indigenous young women and girls and to report on progress made
to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
86.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its previous recommendations
to UNICEF to adopt a policy
on indigenous peoples in consultation
with indigenous peoples without delay.
Regional dialogues with indigenous peoples and Member States
87.
In an effort to increase the effectiveness of its work and to engage in deeper dialogue on issues of concern
to indigenous peoples in the different regions, the Permanent Forum held six regional dialogues between the
Forum, indigenous peoples and
Member States. Forum members, as well as indigenous
participants and States,
expressed support for the initiative,
which the Forum intends to continue in future
sessions.
88.
The dialogues provided an opportunity to discuss the
main challenges and opportunities
related to advancing the
rights of indigenous peoples in
the region. There was agreement upon
the need to strengthen regional spaces for coordination and to link regional
processes and the priorities of indigenous peoples with the ongoing global processes.
Africa
89.
Indigenous peoples requested that Member States and the United
Nations system financially support a multi-stakeholder
regional consultation process for indigenous
peoples’ organizations (in the form of an African
regional peoples’ fund) to share
knowledge and best practices
and develop a road map of common issues
for indigenous peoples in Africa.
90.
Participants urged indigenous peoples, Member States, UNESCO and other United Nations agencies, programmes and funds and other relevant actors to promote the 2019
International Year of Indigenous Languages at the African regional and subregional level.
Arctic, Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and
Transcaucasia
91.
The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation from 2015 to the Arctic Council and requests all Arctic governments to adopt a comprehensive and long-term
strategy for resource extraction in the Arctic region that includes free,
prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples to development projects on
their lands and territories or involving their resources. The Forum requests
the Arctic Council to provide information on the progress made in the
implementation of the recommendation in conjunction with indigenous peoples.
92.
The Permanent Forum appeals to governments in the Arctic, Eastern Europe, the Russian
Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia t o give financial and political
support to their indigenous peoples to play an active
role in the implementation
of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, including for
indigenous peoples and
experts to meet at conferences
and other relevant regional meetings and events.
93.
Recalling paragraph 40 of its report on its sixteenth session ( E/2017/43- E/C.19/2017/11), the Permanent Forum calls on Governments in the Arctic, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia,
along with academics, to take appropriate measures to
introduce the endangered languages of
their regions into educational practices and include the
learning of those
languages in curricula at
all levels of educational system, whe n requested by
indigenous people.
94.
The Permanent Forum urges Governments in the Arctic, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia to fully implement
the relevant international
obligations related to environmental and social safeguards to assure the conservation
of nature and access to
natural resources for
indigenous peoples within
their territories in accordance
with Sustainable Development Goals 12, 14 and 15.
Asia
95.
The Permanent Forum expresses
appreciation for Nepal being the only Asian country to ratify the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention
, 1989 (No. 169), in 2007. Nevertheless,
it is concerning that, even 10 years
after ratification, the Government has not adopted
a national action plan to implement the
Convention. The Forum recommends
that Nepal immediately adopt a national action plan,
including in line with
its commitment in the outcome
document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The Forum urges other Asian States to consider
ratifying the Convention as per the recommendations
made by treaty bodies and in the universal
periodic review.
96.
The Permanent Forum recalls and stresses its earlier recommendation that the Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recognize the human
rights of indigenous peoples in the ASEAN region and establish a working group on indigenous
peoples. In addition,
the Forum urges the South Asian
Association for Regional
Cooperation to establish a human rights commission
and a working group on indigenous
peoples.
97.
The Permanent Forum invites the Economic and Social Council to further enhance the participation
of national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris principles relating to the status of
national institutions for the promotion
and protection of human rights in
the sessions of the Forum and
to allow for their contribution to
the sessions, bearing in mind
the relevant provisions dealing with their participation
contained in General Assembly
resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, Human Rights Council
resolutions 5/1, 5/2 and 16/21 and
Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/74.4
4 See General Assembly
resolution 72/181, para.
16.
Pacific
98.
The loss of capacity to maintain subsistence livelihoods of island populations in the region leads to social stress and disadvantage, including substance abuse and domestic violence. The remote locations of many islands of the region can result in poor or limited access to health and education institutions, as well as transport and communications.
99.
The Permanent Forum expresses
concern at the high numbers of imprisoned indigenous people in the Pacific region, including in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii,
United States.
100.
The Pacific is the region that is most vulnerable to climate change.
Indigenous peoples can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and act as stewards of their traditional
lands, yet they receive little attention from their Governments and the global community. While most small island developing States
in the region support the United
Nations Declaration on the Right s of Indigenous Peoples and are implementing Agenda 2030, progress in the Pacific
is lagging far behind.
Central and South America and the Caribbean
101.
The main concerns expressed in this dialogue include d the implementation
gap between the progress made
in institutional, legislative and policy frameworks within the region and the effective
measures taken by
the Governments ; the criminalization
of protest and the persecution and killings of defenders
of the collective rights of indigenous peoples; the lack of consultations to obtain the free,
prior and informed consent
of indigenous peoples, especially
in the context of disputes
over land rights, the
expansion of extractive
industries and agroindustry; and the alarming levels of
violence against indigenous women, youth and children, including sexual abuse of indigenous children in educational contexts and increased femicide in the region.
102.
The 2030 Agenda and the upcoming 2020
census round , as well as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, are opportunities
to achieve progress on the implementation
of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples. These processes must
guarantee the full and effective participation of indigenous
peoples at all levels. The Permanent Forum recognizes the need to enhance the
participation of the indigenous
peoples of the Caribbean,
including indigenous women and youth.
North America
103.
The Permanent Forum welcomes
the constructive dialogue between the indigenous peoples and Member States in North America on border-crossing issues (honouring the Jay Treaty, the North
American Free Trade Agreement and
cross- border pipelines), the designation of 2019 as the International
Year of Indigenous Languages and the creation of
space for indigenous youth to participate
in the processes of the Forum.
The Forum notes the recent second meeting of the North
American Working Group
on Violence Against Indigenous
Women and Girls and encourages
Canada, Mexico and the United States to develop a trilateral
initiative on transboundary issues of concern to indigenous peoples.
104.
Indigenous peoples expressed concern over the development projects and disrespect
by corporations of indigenous lands, territories and resources in their development and implementation of extraction projects connected to the Sustainable Development Goals, including in the insular territories of indigenous peoples.
105.
The Permanent Forum encourages
States to directly reference and incorporate
into their negotiation policies and frameworks for treaties, agreements and other
constructive arrangements the implementation
of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, and mechanisms
for free, prior and
informed consent.
Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues
106.
The Permanent Forum welcomes publication of Local
Biodiversity Outlooks, as a collaborative effort of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, the Forest
Peoples Programme and the secretariat
of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and looks forward to its second edition,
to be published in 2020.
107.
The Permanent Forum supports the strengthening and further
application of community-based
mapping, monitoring and information systems as complementary evidence bases for assessment and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement
and the post-2020
biodiversity framework, and as tools for community
governance and self-determined development.
108.
The Permanent Forum urges Governments and donors to support community-
based monitoring and information
systems, citizen science and the democratization
of information technologies, as complementary
to national and global statistical and information systems, and to prioritize
capacity-building and funding
and for such initiatives.
109.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the approval of the approach to recognizing and working
with indigenous and local knowledge
adopted at the fifth
plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services, in 2017, and
the establishment of a participatory
mechanism for indigenous peoples and local communities
in the work of the Platform. The Forum
urges the identification of procedures and methodologies
for effective implementation of the approach and
the participatory mechanism, in partnership
with indigenous peoples.
110.
The Permanent Forum congratulates
the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its work to assist indigenous
peoples and States in
the implementation of the Voluntary
Guidelines on the Responsible
Governance of Tenure
of Land, Fisheries and Forests in
the Context of National Food Security, and for the issuance
of a technical guide on commons
and communal lands and resources.
The Forum encourages FAO to continue enhancing the
implementation of the Voluntary
Guidelines with tailored capacity development for indigenous peoples.
111.
The Permanent Forum recommends
that FAO create a
t echnical working group on the collective
rights of indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources, which will provide
technical outputs and publications informing indigenous peoples and
the Forum.
112.
The Permanent Forum requests FAO to enhance the
participation of indigenous
peoples and representatives from the Forum
in the work of the Committee
on Agriculture, the Committee on
Forestry, the Committee on Fisheries,
the Committee on World Food Security and the Commission on Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture.
113.
The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption by the Green Climate Fund of the Indigenous Peoples Policy and the Environmental and Social Policy, as well as the establishment of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group by the Fund, and encourages the Fund to support specific capacity-building programmes for indigenous
peoples as part of the readiness
and preparatory programme to ensure
their full and effective engagement
with the Fund at all levels and in all activities.
114.
The Permanent Forum appoints
Brian Keane and Elifuraha Laltaika, members of the Forum, to conduct a study on
the implementation of judicial decisions related to indigenous peoples and to present that study
at to the Forum at its eighteenth
session, in 2019.
115.
The Permanent Forum appoints Mariam Wallet Mohamed Aboubakrine, member of the Forum,
to conduct a study on tuberculosis
and indigenous peoples and to present that study to the Forum at its eighteenth session, in 2019.
116.
The Permanent Forum appoints
Terri Henry, member of the Forum, to conduct a
study on the representative institutions of indigenous peoples and
their relationship with national
and local governments, and to present
th at study to the Forum
at its eighteenth session, in 2019.
117.
The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Government of the Plurinational
State of Bolivia and organizations of indigenous peoples for the support provided
to hold the pre-sessional meeting for the eighteenth session of the Forum in Sucre from 25 February to 2 March 2018. The Forum calls upon States to propose and host the preliminary sessions of the Forum in the future.
Chapter II
Venue, dates and proceedings
of the session
118.
By its decision 2017/248, the Economic and Social Council
decided that the seventeenth session of the Permanent Forum would be held at United
Nations Headquarters from 16 to 27 April 2018.
119.
At its 2nd meeting, on 16 April, the Permanent Forum considered
agenda item 3, entitled
“Follow-up to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum”. For its consideration of the item, the Forum had before
it two notes by the Secretariat
entitled “Compilation of information
received from United Nations system e
ntities and other intergovernmental bodies on progress in
the implementation of the recommendations of the Permanent Forum” (E/C.19/2018/3)
and “Compilation of information received from indigenous
peoples’ organizations” (E/C.19/2018/4).
120.
At its 2nd meeting, on 16 April, and its 7th and 8th meetings, on 19 April, the Forum considered agenda item 4, entitled “Implementation
of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with
reference to the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. For its consideration of the item, the Forum had before
it two notes by the Secretariat entitled “Compilation of information from national human
rights institutions” (E/C.19/2018/6) and “Action
plan for organizing the 2019 International Year
of Indigenous
Languages” (E/C.19/2018/8).
At its 15th meeting, on 27 April, the Forum
considered and adopted
its recommendations submitted under that
item (see chap. I, sect. B).
121.
At its 10th meeting, on 20 April, the Forum
considered agenda item 5, entitled “Dialogue with indigenous
peoples”. At its 15th meeting, the Forum considered and adopted its recommendations submitted under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
122. At its 12th
meeting, on 23 April, the
Forum considered agenda item 6, entitled
“Dialogue with Member States”. At its 15th meeting, the Forum
considered and adopted its recommendations submitted under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
123.
At its 11th meeting,
on 23 April, the Forum considered
agenda item 7, entitled
“Dialogue with the agencies, funds
and programmes of the United Nations system”. At its 15th
meeting, the Forum considered
and adopted its recommendations
submitted under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
124.
At its 3rd, 4th
and 8th meetings, on 17 and 19 April, the Forum considered
agenda item 8, entitled
“Discussion on the theme ‘Indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands,
territories and resources’”. For its consideration of the item, the Forum
had before it two notes
by the Secretariat entitled “Indigenous
peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and resources” (E/C.19/2018/5)
and “International expert group meeting on the theme ‘Sustainable development in the territories of indigenous peoples’” (E/C.19/2018/7).
At its 15th meeting, the Forum considered
and adopted its recommendations submitted under that item (see chap. I, sects. A and B).
125.
At its 4th meeting, on 17 April, the
Forum considered agenda item 9, entitled “2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”. For its consideration
of the item, the Forum had
before it a note by the Secretariat entitled “Update on indigenous
peoples and the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable
Development” (E/C.19/2018/2). At
its 15th meeting, the Forum considered
and adopted its recommendations submitted under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
126.
At its 5th and 6th
meetings, on 18 April,
the Forum considered agenda item 10, entitled “Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur
on the rights of indigenous peop les and the Chair of the Expert
Mechanism on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples ”. At its
15th meeting, the Forum
considered and adopted
its recommendations submitted
under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
127.
At its 9th meeting, on
20 April, the Forum cons idered agenda item 11, entitled “Follow-up
to the outcome document of the World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples”. At its 15th meeting, the
Forum considered and adopted its recommendations
submitted under
that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
128.
At its 8th meeting, on 19 April, the Forum
considered agenda item 12, entitled
“Future work of the Permanent Forum,
including issues considered by the Economic
and Social Council and emerging issues”.
For its consideration of the item, the Forum had
before it a note by the Secretariat
entitled “Study to examine
conservation and indigenous
peoples’ human rights” (E/C.19/2018/9).
At its 15th meeting, the Forum considered
and adopted its recommendations submitted under that item (see chap. I, sect. B).
129.
At its 15th meeting, the Forum considered agenda item 13, entitled “Provisional
agenda for the eighteenth session”. At the same meeting, the Forum
considered and adopted a draft decision
submitted under that item (see cha p. I, sect. A).
Chapter III
Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its
seventeenth session
130.
At its 15th meeting, on 27 April, the Rapporteur
introduced and orally revised the draft decisions and
recommendations and the draft report of the Permanent Forum
on its seventeenth session.
131.
At the same meeting, the
Permanent Forum adopted
its draft report, as orally
revised.
Chapter IV
Organization of the session
A. Opening and duration of the session
132.
The Permanent Forum held its seventeenth session at United Nations Headquarters from 16 to 27 April 2018. It held 15 formal meetings, including 5 closed meetings, to consider the items on its agenda.
133.
At the 1st meeting, on
16 April, the session was opened
by the Assistant Secretary-General for
Economic Development. At the opening
ceremony, a representative of the Onondaga Nation, Tadodaho
Sid Hill, delivered a welcoming address. The President
of the General Assembly and the Vice -President of the Economic and
Social Council (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) delivered
statements.
134.
At the same meeting, the
President of the Plurinational
State of Bolivia, Evo
Morales Ayma, addressed the
Forum. Statements were also made
by the Chair of the Forum and the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development.
B. Attendance
135.
Members of the Permanent Forum
and representatives of Governments, intergovernmental organizations and bodies, United Nations entities and non-governmental and indigenous organizations attended th e session. The list of participants will be published at
a later date.
C. Election of officers
136.
At its 1st meeting, on 16 April, the Forum
elected the following members
of the Bureau by acclamation:
Chair:
Mariam Wallet Mohamed Aboubakrine
Vice-Chairs:
Anne Nuorgam
Zhang Xiaoan
Dmitrii
Kharakka-Zaitsev Tarcila Rivera Zea
Rapporteur:
Brian Keane
D. Agenda
137.
Also at its 1st meeting, the Forum adopted the provisional agenda contained in document E/C.19/2018/1.
E. Documentation
138.
The list of the documents before the Permanent Forum at its seventeenth
session will be published
at a later date.
18-07701* (E) 180618
*1807701*
