Recommendations on Indigenous Women

Human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (item 5 (d))

46. The Permanent Forum decided to create a virtual working group on truth, reconciliation and transitional justice, including in post-conflict areas, for lasting peace that respects the rights of indigenous peoples, promoting the full and effective inclusion of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women. The working group is comprised of members of three United Nations indigenous mechanisms, indigenous peoples, academia and civil society, as well as representatives of transitional justice and reconciliation mechanisms.

48. The Permanent Forum regrets the continuous killings, violence and harassment targeted at indigenous human rights defenders, including indigenous women, in the context of resisting mining and infrastructure projects and other such developments. The Permanent Forum therefore invites Member States to honour their human rights obligations. In this regard, the Permanent Forum welcomes General Assembly resolution 76/148 on the rights of indigenous peoples, in which States are urged to take necessary measures to ensure the rights, protection and safety of indigenous peoples, including indigenous leaders and indigenous human rights defenders, and to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and that access to justice and remedy is guaranteed.

53. The Permanent Forum welcomes the work of the Government of Bangladesh with United Nations country offices to support peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Permanent Forum further welcomes the ongoing study on the status of implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord of 1997 and invites the Government of Bangladesh, with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, to report on the results of the study at the twenty-second session of the Permanent Forum, setting a timeframe for its full implementation. The Permanent Forum also calls upon the Government of Bangladesh to continue to address all forms of violence, including enforced disappearances, and sexual violence against women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts committed by law enforcement agencies.

58. The Permanent Forum welcomes the draft general recommendation on the rights of indigenous women and girls of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation, contained in the report on its twentieth session (E/2021/43, para. 32), that the general recommendation be adopted at the earliest opportunity. The Permanent Forum invites the Committee to share its plans for implementation of the general recommendation at the twenty-third session of the Permanent Forum, to be held in 2024.

Discussion on the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum (economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights), with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (item 4)

70. The Permanent Forum urges States to support the economic activities of indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women, by enhancing their equal access to productive resources and agricultural inputs, such as land, seeds, financial services, technology, transportation and information.

79. The Permanent Forum heard from the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences on her upcoming report on violence against indigenous women and girls to be presented at the fiftieth session of the Human Rights Council. The Permanent Forum commends the work of the Special Rapporteur on the causes and consequences of violence against indigenous women and girls and looks forward to studying her report.
80. 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.
81. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) advance data and research on the challenges that indigenous women and girls face in realizing their right to bodily autonomy and the right to be free from violence, including reproductive coercion and in birthing practices. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum invites UNFPA to prepare a study on indigenous women’s bodily autonomy, with the participation of indigenous women, and to present its findings at the twenty-third session of the Permanent Forum, to be held in 2024.

Regional dialogues: indigenous peoples and post-pandemic recovery (item 5 (e))

113. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, including nomadic peoples. Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated the plight of young women with regard to forced early marriage, female genital mutilation and lack of access to health care. The Permanent Forum calls on Member States to implement effective measures to address these challenges in their post-pandemic recovery efforts.

122. Important issues raised during the North America dialogue included the intergenerational trauma and continued mental health impact of boarding schools, access to mental health and health in the post-pandemic recovery period, the participation of indigenous peoples and violence against indigenous women and girls, including missing and murdered women and girls.

Recommendations of the Permanent Forum Discussion on the theme “Peace, justice and strong institutions: the role of indigenous peoples in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16”

8. Peace and security are important at all levels. The Permanent Forum is deeply troubled by continuing accounts of violence against indigenous women and girls across the globe. The Permanent Forum hears the stories of indigenous women and girls who are murdered or go missing year after year, with little visible progress. Furthermore, such violence is perpetrated with callous impunity that must be addressed with a renewed sense of urgency. 

Human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples (item 5 (d))

32. The Permanent Forum invites the secretariat of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to share information, at its twenty-first session, in 2022, regarding the progress made in incorporating the rights of indigenous women into the work of the Committee. It also invites States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Discrimination against Women to incorporate specific rights-based indicators and information on indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women, in their periodic progress reports on the implementation of the Convention. 

Follow-up to the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (item 6) 

35. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by Member States in 2015, the Permanent Forum has repeatedly highlighted the importance of ensuring the meaningful and full participation of indigenous peoples in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Unfortunately, the world is not on track to meet globally agreed targets. This has been particularly evident during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which existing inequities have been exacerbated, placing the survival of indigenous peoples at greater risk. During the pandemic, indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women and girls, have not only been left behind, but have been left even further behind. 

36. Bearing that in mind, the Permanent Forum considers it an opportune moment to reconsider and adjust the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to design a non-extractivist, sustainable agenda that fully incorporates a human rights-based approach.

37. The Permanent Forum is concerned that the concept of building back better has been interpreted by some States as a means to continue the execution of harmful development projects, which for indigenous peoples means repeated violations of their collective and individual rights, expropriation of their lands and resources, criminalization of indigenous human rights defenders, increased poverty, inequality and food insecurity, violence against indigenous women and girls, and limited access to justice. 

38. The concept of building back better also implies opportunities to recognize and value the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples in safeguarding and conserving the environment, actions which can significantly advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It also implies addressing the lack of educational infrastructure, digital literacy and culturally appropriate education. It also requires the involvement of indigenous youth as they will inherit the responsibility to protect and preserve indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge and preserve their traditional lands, resources and sacred sites upon which their cultural heritage and identity are based. Furthermore, indigenous women, as guardians of their traditional and gender specific knowledge, must participate adequately in land ownership and governance at all levels.  

Discussion on the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum (economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights), with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (item 4)

64. Furthermore, States should strengthen measures, systems and resources to effectively address all forms of violence against indigenous women, such as female genital mutilation; child marriage; sexual abuse; forced labour; modern slavery; domestic, institutional and political violence, including in the context of forced displacement; sexual exploitation; trafficking; armed conflict; and the militarization of indigenous lands and territories.

65. The Permanent Forum urges States and bodies and organizations of the United Nations system, including the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Environment Assembly, to include indigenous peoples in a fully meaningful and effective manner in decision-making processes in all areas aimed at tackling marine litter and plastic pollution, and landscape/ecosystem degradation, including in programmes and partnerships and in the future negotiations of international instruments. Such efforts should include recognition of the traditional knowledge, practices and innovations of indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women, in plans and actions to restore landscapes and ecosystems and to address marine litter and plastic pollution.  

Dialogues: dialogue with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes (item 5 (c))  

81. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) conduct a study on violence against indigenous women and access to justice, especially in cross-border situations, in cooperation with indigenous women. 

Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues, specifically challenges related to pandemics and responses to them (item 7)

89. The Permanent Forum emphasizes the importance of the engagement and meaningful participation of indigenous peoples in the design and roll-out of measures to prevent contagion, including through the non-discriminatory delivery and administration of vaccines, and in recovery plans and efforts. In that context, the important roles of indigenous women should not be overlooked. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Secretary-General’s call to action on human rights provide important tools in guiding those efforts.  

Indigenous women and girls

92. The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected indigenous women and girls, who already face violence and higher rates of poverty in conjunction with limited access to health-care services, information and communications technologies, financial services, education and employment, while also suffering from multiple forms of discrimination and exclusion. Violence against women and girls is a “shadow pandemic” that has increased during the COVID-19 crisis. With the closure of schools, pregnancy rates among indigenous young women and girls have risen. In that context, support for indigenous women’s organizations and networks is vital, since they are on the front lines of the responses to both pandemics.

Implementation of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

27. The mandate of the Permanent Forum is to advise the Economic and Social Council on indigenous peoples’ issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. In addition, the Forum is tasked with promoting respect for and the full application of the provisions of the Declaration and following up on their effective implementation.

Economic and social development

28. Building on the recommendation contained in paragraph 16 of its report on its sixteenth session (E/2017/43-E/C.19/2017/11), the Permanent Forum strongly encourages United Nations resident coordinators and country teams to ensure the full and effective participation
of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and young people, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and country programme action plans.

Health

43. The Permanent Forum welcomes the participation of indigenous midwives at its eighteenth session and recognizes the important role that they play in maternal and child health. Indigenous women have both higher morbidity and mortality rates as a result of lack of access to health care, discrimination and marginalization. The practices and knowledge of indigenous midwives are crucial to the health of indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, their criminalization persists, with a devastating impact not only on the midwives themselves, but also on mothers, children and communities.

Human rights
50. The Permanent Forum is deeply disturbed by apparent widespread policies and practices in previous years of the forced sterilization of indigenous women. This violation of women’s rights is exacerbated by the likely intention to restrict or reduce the population of indigenous
peoples.

Indigenous women and gender
53. The Permanent Forum reiterates its invitation to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to adopt a general recommendation on indigenous women by 2020, in accordance with the Declaration and other international instruments. The Forum
recommends that the general recommendation on indigenous women consider issues related to the individual and collective rights to equality, non-discrimination and self-determination; social and economic rights, including the rights to decent work and to land, territory and resources; the right to water and food; cultural rights; civil and political rights; and the right to live free of any form of violence.
54. The Permanent Forum reiterates the recommendation contained in paragraph 40 of its report on its seventeenth session, in which it recommended 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: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, in 2020, to review progress made towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on links to the Declaration. The Forum invites States, in cooperation 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.
55. The Permanent Forum notes with appreciation the work of the trilateral working group on violence against indigenous women and girls and urges Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, in cooperation with United Nations entities, to organize an international expert group meeting, by 2021, on ongoing issues of violence against indigenous women and girls in the region, including trafficking, as well as the continuing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.
56. The Permanent Forum notes the second World Conference of Indigenous Women, which will be organized in 2020 by the International Indigenous Women’s Forum, in cooperation with regional indigenous women’s networks and hosted by the Sámi Nisson Forum. The global agenda for promoting the rights of indigenous women in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and of the International Conference on Population and Development will be discussed at the World Conference. The Forum encourages Member States and United Nations entities to support the organization of the World Conference of Indigenous Women and the participation of indigenous women from all seven sociocultural regions.

Dialogue with indigenous peoples

75. The Permanent Forum appreciates the frank and open dialogue with indigenous peoples. It takes notes of the concerns raised, regarding, among others, the exploitation of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources, allegations of human rights violations, violence
against indigenous women and girls, and the implementation of large-scale development projects without their free, prior and informed consent. In addition, the lack of constitutional recognition and specific laws and policies related to indigenous peoples is a serious challenge
in achieving the ends of the Declaration.

Dialogue with the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system

88. The Permanent Forum encourages UNFPA to organize, in full cooperation with indigenous peoples, a global symposium on indigenous young people and women during the summit to be held Nairobi in November 2019 to advance the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development so that their key concerns are incorporated into the review and appraisal of the Programme of Action.

90. The Permanent Forum welcomes the results of the 2018 High-level Expert Seminar on Indigenous Food Systems, in particular the creation of an online global hub on indigenous food systems, and would like to recommend that the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO) continue work on:

(a) Indigenous young people towards the creation of a forum on indigenous young people in the coming years;

(b) Indigenous food systems, in particular in relation to the links with traditional knowledge, climate change and the respect of indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, territories and resources;

(c) Indigenous women (the global campaign on indigenous women and the leadership and food security schools for indigenous women).

Follow-up to the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

Africa
102. Recalling the recommendation contained in the report of its fifteenth session (E/2016/43-E/C.19/2016/11, para. 52), the Permanent Forum urges States to take measures for settlement, protection and security in post-conflict areas and for the construction of durable and lasting peace, promoting the full and effective inclusion of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, in any initiative for peace and reconciliation. The Forum also recommends that the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and indigenous peoples, including women and young people, consider indigenous peoples’ traditional conflict resolution systems for achieving durable and lasting peace.

North America
119. Among the issues discussed at the North America dialogue were the protection of indigenous peoples’ sacred sites, lands and waters; maintaining cultural practices and sustainable indigenous economies; reconciliation and intergenerational trauma; violence against indigenous women and young people; and indigenous peoples’ participation in the United Nations system.
120. The continued criminalization of indigenous peoples who are protecting sacred sites is a major concern in the region, as is the situation of indigenous young people in urban areas that are experiencing suicide and opioid crises, the large percentage of indigenous children who
are in foster care and the disproportionate number of indigenous peoples, especially women, who are incarcerated.

Discussion on the theme “Indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and resources”

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 resources; 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 peoples.

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 cooperation 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.

Health

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.
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 traditional 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.
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.

Environment

60. The Permanent Forum reiterates its concern over environmental violence, 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.

Dialogues with indigenous peoples, Member States and the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system

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.
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.

Central and South America and the Caribbean

101. The main concerns expressed in this dialogue included 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 crossborder 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.

Discussion on the theme “Tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: measures taken to implement the Declaration”

16. The Permanent Forum encourages resident coordinators and United Nations country teams to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and youth, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks and country programmed action plans.

Health

43. The Permanent Forum recommends that States collaborate with indigenous peoples to ensure adequate resources to design and fully implement HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C programmes that address the social, economic and cultural determinants of health for HIV prevention, care and treatment in indigenous populations, in particular indigenous women and youth.
44. The Permanent Forum invites UNFPA, in collaboration with the Forum, to identify good practices of culturally appropriate intervention models from its work in developing countries that provide support to indigenous peoples, in particular women and girls, in exercising their health and reproductive rights, and to report to the Forum on those models by 2018.
45. The Permanent  Forum  recognizes  the  efforts  made  by  UNFPA,  the  United  Nations Children’s  Fund  and  UN-Women  and  recommends  that  they  continue  to  make  efforts  to implement the recommendation made by the Forum at its fifteenth session to develop a fact sheet on maternal and child health in indigenous communities (E/2016/43-E/C.19/2016/11, para. 38) and present the fact sheet to the Forum by 2018, so as to provide support for target 3.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
46. On the basis of the Permanent Forum’s continued concern about the impact of environmental toxins and the export and import of banned pesticides on the reproductive health of indigenous women and girls, the Forum reaffirms its call, contained in its report on its thirteenth session, for a legal review  of  the  United  Nations  chemical  conventions,  in  particular  the  Rotterdam Convention, to ensure that they are in conformity with international human rights standards, including  the  United  Nations  Declaration  on  the  Rights  of  Indigenous  Peoples  and  the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (E/2014/43-E/C.19/2014/11, para. 16; see also E/C.19/2014/8, para. 62). The Forum recommends that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular article 24, and its recognition of environmental health as a right protected under the Convention also be considered in the legal review. The Forum invites the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes to carry out a review within his mandated area of expertise and to present his conclusions to the Forum at its seventeenth session.

Follow-up to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum Empowerment of indigenous women

47. The Permanent Forum will continue to play a key role in the empowerment of indigenous women and to provide a platform in which States, the United Nations system and indigenous women evaluate the  progress  made  and  the  challenges  that  remain  to  overcome  the marginalization and exclusion of indigenous women.
48. The Permanent Forum urges States to cooperate with indigenous peoples to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against indigenous women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities and to provide support for measures aimed at ensuring their full and effective participation in decision-making processes at all levels and at eliminating structural and legal barriers to their full, equal and effective participation in political, economic, social and cultural life.
49. The Permanent Forum urges States to expand opportunities to enable indigenous women to participate actively in the political life of the country in which they live. The Forum also urges States to ensure the safety of indigenous women who are defending the rights of their peoples and territories and to prosecute those persons involved in incidents of violence against them.
50. The Permanent  Forum  welcomes  the  consideration  of  the  empowerment  of  indigenous women as the focus area of the Commission on the Status of Women at its sixty-first session and urges Governments to report on efforts made to fully implement Commission resolution 49/7, entitled “Indigenous women: beyond the 10-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”, and its resolution 56/4, entitled “Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication”.
51. The Permanent Forum reiterates the need for the implementation of its recommendation, contained in paragraph 12 of its report on its third session E/2004/43-E/C.19/2004/23), relating to the situation of indigenous women migrants. The Forum invites ILO to coordinate with other appropriate agencies, in cooperation with indigenous women’s organizations, to prepare a report on the situation of indigenous women with regard to informal work, migration and working conditions, for submission to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
52. The Permanent Forum  recommends  that  ILO,  in collaboration with UNFPA and  other relevant United Nations agencies, prepare a study on access to the labour market by and labour conditions of indigenous women and youth and the challenges, barriers and stereotypes that may affect their professional development, for submission to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
53. The Permanent Forum continues to raise region-specific concerns about the adverse impact of climate change on indigenous communities (see E/2011/43-E/C.19/2011/14, para. 30) and invites the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to prepare a study on the impact of climate change on indigenous women, for submission to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
54. The Permanent Forum welcomes efforts made by UN-Women, in the preparation of the first global report on indigenous women and girls, to highlight progress in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration  on  the  Rights  of  Indigenous  Peoples  and  prospects  for  the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to indigenous women and girls, including in matters related to informal work, migration and working conditions. The Forum recommends that UN-Women continue this work in close cooperation with indigenous women’s organizations.

Indigenous youth

57. The Permanent Forum calls upon the Economic and Social Council, including its youth forum, the high-level political forum on sustainable development, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission for  Social Development,  as  well as  other relevant United Nations  forums,  to  include  representatives  of  indigenous  youth-led  organizations  in  their meetings.

Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples with regard to indigenous human rights defenders

76. 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.

Studies to be prepared by members of the Permanent Forum

108. The Permanent Forum appoints Terri Henry, a member of the Forum to undertake a study on spotlight in North America: good practices in addressing violence against indigenous women and the impact of grassroots movements in achieving national action, to be submitted to the Forum at its eighteenth

Economic and social development

35. Building upon past work of the Permanent Forum with regard to indigenous women, in particular the study on the extent of violence against indigenous women and girls in terms of article 22 (2) of the United Nations Declaration (see E/C.19/2013/9) and the report of the international expert group   meeting   on   combating   such   violence   (see E/2012/43– E/C.19/2012/13) the Forum recommends that States adopt measures aimed at addressing the specific problems of police brutality, systemic police violence and discrimination against indigenous women, as experienced, for example, by indigenous women in Val-d’Or, Canada, Sepur Zarco, Guatemala, and north-east India.
36. The Permanent Forum  welcomes  the intention of the Commission  on the Status  of Women to make the issue of the empowerment of indigenous women a focus area of its sixty-first session, to be held in 2017. The Forum invites the Bureau of the Commission to consider organizing a half-day session on the issue. The Forum calls upon the Commission to consider the empowerment of indigenous women as a theme in future sessions, pursuant to paragraph 19 of General Assembly resolution 69/2.
37. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women prepare a specific report on the situation of indigenous women’s empowerment, in   collaboration   with   the  Forum   and   indigenous   women’s organizations, for submission to the Forum at its seventeenth session.
38. The Permanent Forum urges Member States and funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system to implement action to reduce maternal mortality among indigenous women. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of  Women  publish  a  factsheet,  in  collaboration  with  the  Forum,  on indigenous  women’s  maternal  mortality  and  maternal  health,  with  the  aim  of  reducing maternal mortality and promoting sexual and reproductive health.
39. The Permanent Forum urges Member States and funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system to implement actions to strengthen the leadership and political participation of indigenous women.

Discussion on the theme “Indigenous peoples: conflict, peace and resolution”

52. Consistent with articles 7 and 30 of the United Nations Declaration, States should take measures for settlement, protection and security in  the post-conflict  period, and for the construction of durable  and lasting peace, promoting the full  and effective inclusion of indigenous   peoples,   including   indigenous   women,   in   any   initiative   for   peace   and reconciliation.

57. Sexual and gender-based violence increases in settings of conflict. Sexual violence has also been used systematically as a weapon of war against indigenous women. In the light of the particular risks and vulnerabilities of indigenous women and girls relating to sexual and gender-based violence, the   Permanent   Forum   recommends   that   Governments,   local authorities, specialized agencies of the United Nations system and civil society collaborate with indigenous peoples to establish multisectoral and holistic approaches to combat the various forms of violence against women and girls.

Post-2015 development agenda

10. The Permanent Forum requests that States incorporate commitments made in the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples into the development of the post- 2015 development agenda, especially the action points on data disaggregation, land rights, traditional knowledge, the implementation of free, E/2015/43 E/C.19/2015/10 15-07815 7/17 prior and informed consent and access to justice presented by indigenous speakers in the thematic panels during the high-level stocktaking event, and reaffirm their commitments to indigenous peoples in the political declaration of the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, with the following paragraph:

We affirm that indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for exercising their right to development, based on their security, of their lands, territories and resources. We commit ourselves to ensuring equal access to high-quality education that recognizes the diversity of the cultures of indigenous peoples, and to  health, housing, water, sanitation and other  economic and social programmes to improve their well-being, including through initiatives, policies and the provision of resources. We intend to empower indigenous peoples, including women,  to  deliver  such  programmes  and  commit  ourselves  to  working  with indigenous peoples to disaggregate data on indigenous peoples’ development and well-being.

11. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  the  Inter-Agency  and  Expert  Group  on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators engage with indigenous peoples in developing key indicators relating to indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, territories and resources, traditional knowledge, free, prior and informed consent, empowerment of indigenous women, access to justice and special measures addressing the particular circumstances of indigenous peoples regarding relevant poverty, health, education and socioeconomic development targets of the 17 goals.

Future work

37. The Permanent Forum notes the participation of United Nations and indigenous experts in the panel discussion on the proposed indigenous peoples development index. In particular, the Forum notes the work of States, United Nations agencies and indigenous experts in developing indicators, such as on cultural integrity, status and trends in relation to land tenure and food security, and the Indigenous Navigator project as positive initiatives towards the development of such an index.
38. In establishing indicators, the focus should be on the vision and world view of indigenous peoples, based on collective rights, such as those to identity, land, territory, free, prior and informed consent and women’s participation in local, national and international decision- making processes.

40. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  Member  States  actively  engage  with  their indigenous  peoples  in  both  developed  countries  and  developing  countries,  including indigenous women, indigenous youth and indigenous persons with disabilities, in developing key indicators on indigenous peoples, including for data disaggregation, to be included in the overall indicators for the post-2015 development agenda to be adopted in March 2016.
41. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  the  Commission  on  the  Status  of  Women consider the empowerment of indigenous women as a priority theme of its sixty-first session, in 2017, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration

Review Year Health

7. In sexual health and reproductive rights there is a need for HIV-sensitive, gender-sensitive and age-sensitive sexual health education that respects cultural sensitivities in pre-testing and post testing conditions and delivery of services. The Permanent Forum recommends:

1. That, in the design and implementation of its strategic plan for the period 2014- 2018, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) take into consideration the rights of indigenous women and young people; .
2. That  contributions  be  made  to  ministries  of  health  and  indigenous  women’s organizations to consolidate their work on intercultural standards for high-quality sexual health and reproductive rights and maternal health and to assess experiences of intercultural health models  in  other  regions  of  the  world  in  order  to  identify  opportunities  for  South-South cooperation;
3. That efforts be made to ensure the integration of indigenous peoples’ rights into national and sub national strategies on gender-based violence and to promote the delivery of culturally acceptable critical services to address gender based violence and sexual violence, with a focus on adolescents, youth, migrants and indigenous women with disabilities;
4. (d) That the United Nations country teams contribute to strengthening andante grating the rights of indigenous women and youth into national and subnational development strategies and  sectoral  plans,  particularly  but  not  exclusively  in  the  areas  of  sexual  health  and reproductive rights and maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as in adolescent and youth policies and plans;
5. (e)  That  contributions  be  made  to  supporting  work  at  the  country  level  on  the elimination  of  female  genital  mutilation/cutting  among  indigenous  girls,  including  the elimination of other forms of harmful practices, for example early and forced marriage and early unwanted pregnancies;
6. (f) That efforts be made to promote the rights of indigenous youth at the regional and country levels, including their participation in the International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014 processes, and, where possible, their participation in UNFPA-led discussions on the post-2015development agenda.

10. To draw more attention to diabetes and other non communicable diseases, the Permanent Forum recommends that WHO, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Governments develop action plans to improve access by indigenous peoples living with diabetes to health prevention and care of diabetes and non-communicable diseases. The Forum urges States to establish or reinforce community-based health programmes that empower and educate indigenous women  and  children  to  prevent  and  overcome  diabetes  and  non communicable diseases.

Half-day discussion on the African Region

32. The Permanent Forum recognizes the particular concerns of African indigenous youth, who are striving against political, social and economic challenges, poverty, marginalization and a lack of capacity development and employment. The Permanent Forum calls upon, among others, the Economic  Commission  for  Africa  and  the  African  Union,  including  the  New Partnership for Africa’s Development, to provide adequate capacity-building programmes and opportunities to enable African indigenous youth, women and persons with disabilities to engage meaningfully with States and other key development players, including by organizing and sponsoring attendance at training sessions, conferences and other forums on indigenous issues.
33. The Permanent Forum acknowledges that indigenous women in Africa face multiple forms of discrimination and several related challenges, including limited access to high-quality health care and sexual and reproductive health services; limited access to high-quality and relevant education; limited access to economic empowerment, vocational training and capacity-building programmes and processes; denial of or limited access to property rights and violation of their rights to inherit land; vulnerability to conflicts; gender-based domestic and other forms of violence; and food insecurity.
34. The Permanent Forum calls upon the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP and other entities of the United Nations system to develop programmes and projects that support and build the capacity of indigenous women in Africa in order to empower them economically and socially. A good practice in this  regard  is  strengthening  the  entrepreneurship  of  indigenous  women  and facilitating their access to formal markets and financial institutions for their activities. The Forum  also  encourages  States  to  develop  affirmative  actions  that  are  aimed  at  actively including indigenous women in decision-making at all levels and at ensuring that indigenous women’s voices are equally represented in economic, social and political decision-making processes.

Human Rights

42. Extremely concerned about the physical and moral violence being perpetrated against indigenous human rights  defenders,  the  Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  the  Special Rapporteur  on  the  situation  of  human  rights  defenders  prepare  a  report  devoted  to  these alarming conditions and actions, especially in the context of indigenous women and children.

Comprehensive dialogue with United Nations agencies and funds

66. The Permanent Forum encourages international financial institutions to establish policy mechanisms and programme frameworks requiring corporations to comply with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were unanimously endorsed by the Human Rights Council in  2011,  in  addition  to  the  United  Nations  Declaration  on  the  Rights  of Indigenous Peoples, International Labour Organization Convention No. 169, the Convention on  the  Rights  of  the  Child  and  the  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of Discrimination against Women.

Discussion on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

83. The Permanent Forum reiterates the recommendations made in paragraphs 80 and 81 of the report on its eleventh session (E/2012/43-E.C19/2012/13) and invites the indigenous peoples’ caucus and the  Indigenous  Global  Coordinating  Group  to  ensure  the  equal  and  inclusive participation of indigenous women, older persons, young people and persons with disabilities in the World Conference and its preparatory processes.

Future work

100. The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States and the United Nations system involved in the processes leading to the development agenda beyond 2015 make concerted and targeted efforts to reach out to, and engage in a truly inclusive process with, indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, youth and persons with disabilities, to ensure that their rights and priorities are included in all processes relating to the definition of the themes and priorities for the post-2015 development agenda and of the sustainable development goals.

105. The Permanent Forum recommends that the co-chairs of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals  invite  members  of  the  Forum  and  representatives  of indigenous  peoples,  including  indigenous  women,  youth  and  persons  with  disabilities,  to participate in the dedicated meeting that the co-chairs intend to convene later in 2013 in order to have a comprehensive dialogue and interaction with indigenous peoples.

120. The Permanent Forum urges UN-Women, UNDP, other relevant United Nations agencies and Governments to support the political participation of indigenous women by assigning resources to training and exchange programmes and strengthening organization and networks of indigenous women.128. At its 5th and 6th meetings, on 22 May, the Forum considered agenda item 7, “Human rights: (a) Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; (b) Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. For its consideration of the item, the Forum had before it studies on the situation of indigenous persons with disabilities, with a particular focus on challenges faced with regard to the full enjoyment of human rights and inclusion in development (E/C.19/2013/6) and on the extent of violence against indigenous women and girls in terms of article 22 (2) of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (E/C.19/2013/9). At its 16th meeting, on 31 May 2013, the Forum considered and adopted its recommendations submitted under agenda item 7 (see chap. I, sect. B).

Special theme: “The Doctrine of Discovery: its enduring impact on indigenous peoples and the right to redress for past conquests (articles 28 and 37 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)”

5. The ongoing manifestations of such doctrines are evident in indigenous communities, including in the areas of: health; psychological and social well-being; denial of rights and titles to land, resources and medicines; conceptual and behavioural forms of violence against indigenous women; youth suicide; and the hopelessness that many indigenous peoples experience, in particular indigenous youth.

Report of the international expert group meeting: combating violence against indigenous women and girls: article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

19. The Forum expresses its concerns regarding continued violence against women and, owing to the seriousness of these conditions, reiterates its previous recommendations regarding: human and sex trafficking; prostitution and trans-border issues; the disappearance, or murder, of aboriginal women; issues related to identification and birth certificates; environmental violence; intergenerational trauma; youth suicide; peace and security; conflict prevention and resolution; cultural practices such as female genital mutilation or cutting; bride price and promised brides; racism and discrimination; and data disaggregation.
20. The Forum endorses the report and recommendations of the three-day international expert group meeting on the theme “Combating violence against indigenous women and girls: article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (E/C.19/2012/6). The Forum requests that the report form part of the official documentation of the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-seventh session, to be held in 2013.
21. The Forum affirms the recommendation contained in paragraph 57 of the report, urging States to implement and strengthen national censuses and data collection on socioeconomic and well-being indicators to include data disaggregation in relation to violence against indigenous women and girls; reiterates the importance of peace and security to the lives of indigenous women and children and endorses the recommendation contained in paragraph 68 of the report, that States should implement Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008),1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010); reaffirms the recommendation contained in paragraph 51 that indigenous communities should consider creating and supporting initiatives to monitor and assess the situation of violence against indigenous women and girls and present regular reports to the Permanent Forum on violence against indigenous women and girls; and endorses the recommendation contained in paragraph 55, that United Nations agencies, bodies and other entities support the development of protocol templates for police practices involving missing persons cases of indigenous women and girls, and that indigenous peoples and States work in partnership to implement these protocol templates to increase their effectiveness and to be consistent with international human rights laws, norms and standards.
22. The Forum welcomes the participation and perspective of indigenous women and girls with disabilities, recognizes the distinct vulnerability and marginalization that such indigenous individuals encounter as members of an indigenous group, and encourages United Nations agencies, and Governments and organizations, to include their views.
23. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the bureau of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women include indigenous women as experts on violence against women in the interactive panels and guarantee the participation of indigenous women in the process of preparation for and during the fifty-seventh session of the Commission.
24. The Forum welcomes the adoption by the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-sixth session of the resolution entitled “Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication” (see E/2012/27-E/CN.6/2012/16, resolution 56/4) and calls for its implementation.
25. The Forum notes with appreciation the continuing research on violence against indigenous girls, adolescents and young women conducted by many Governments and agencies, including UNICEF, UN-Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), WHO and the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children, and the efforts of those agencies to address gaps in knowledge on the issue, increase resources and capacity and identify better ways to work collaboratively with indigenous women.
26. The Forum urges indigenous organizations to make more effective use of existing international human rights monitoring instruments, such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and to bring communications to their attention regarding claims of violence of different forms against indigenous women, to ensure States take steps to end the persistent and unaddressed violence, including murders and disappearances of indigenous women.
27. The Forum recommends that all States install gender-sensitive action plans and independent self-reporting mechanisms that give particular attention to indigenous peoples, with the aim of protecting victims, prosecuting perpetrators and preventing human trafficking and related serious exploitation in all its forms, in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, both supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Human Rights

34. Mindful of the systemic discrimination and racism experienced by indigenous peoples in the law enforcement, judicial and correctional institutions of States across the globe, the Permanent Forum urges States that have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination to comprehensively review the civil rights of indigenous peoples, in particular those of indigenous women and children who are victims of sexual violence, in order to ensure that they have fair, non-discriminatory access to justice.

37. The Permanent Forum urges States to promote and protect the rights of indigenous women and men working as journalists, communicators and as human rights defenders in accordance with international human rights law, in particular in accordance with article 16 of the Declaration, which calls for the full freedom of expression of indigenous peoples.

Recommendations to the bodies and organizations of the United Nations system and Member States

87. The Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations organizations, funds and programmes, in particular the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), prepare a special report for the Conference on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, the objectives of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, the Millennium Development Goals and the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. It also recommends that the report contain disaggregated statistics in relation to indigenous women, youth and children and address associated thematic issues such as economic sustainability and youth employment.

Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues of the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues

104. The Permanent Forum appoints Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Kanyinke Sena to undertake a study on the political participation of indigenous women at the international, national and local levels, to be submitted to the Forum at its twelfth session.

121. The Permanent Forum takes note of the UNDP Global Programme for Electoral Cycle Support initiative, with its focus on indigenous women and youth in Latin America, and appreciates the contributions provided by donors to ensure the success of the initiative. The Forum recommends that Member States, UN-Women and UNICEF provide financial support for this important initiative for indigenous women and youth.

Draft decisions recommended by the Permanent Forum for adoption by the Council Draft decision I International expert group meeting on the theme “Combating violence against indigenous women and girls: article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” The Economic and Social Council decides to authorize a three-day international expert group meeting on the theme “Combating violence against indigenous women and girls: article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” and requests that the results of the meeting be reported to the Permanent Forum at its eleventh session, to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session and to the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty sixth session in 2012.   Follow-up to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum on economic and social development, the environment and free, prior and informed consent   Economic and social development

4. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has received information on the implementation of 62 of the 131 recommendations made throughout its past nine sessions in the field of economic and social development, which is one of the six areas that the Forum is mandated to address. These recommendations cover a range of issues, including large-scale development projects, resource extraction, communication, traditional livelihoods, data disaggregation and the development of indicators. The Permanent Forum has consistently upheld the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination, as well as their right to determine and develop their own priorities and strategies for development, as enshrined in articles 3 and 32, respectively, of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous women play an integral role in all aspects of economic and social development, and, in order for indigenous peoples to advance the effective implementation of the Declaration, violence against indigenous women must be eradicated.

33. The Permanent Forum notes the intention of the International Indigenous Women’s Environmental Justice and Reproductive Health Initiative to organize an expert group meeting on the environment and indigenous women’s reproductive health and requests that the organizers invite members of the Permanent Forum to participate in the meeting. Further, the Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization participate in the expert group meeting.

Half-day discussion on South and Central America and the Caribbean

53. The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States take measures to advance indigenous women’s right to intercultural health through its inclusion in legal frameworks and public policies, as well as programmes to guarantee culturally, geographically and financially appropriate health and social services.

Comprehensive dialogue with the United Nations Children’s Fund

65. In support of their country-level programming, and with a view to a deeper appreciation of indigenous peoples’ perceptions of such interventions, UNICEF and UNFPA should undertake a study on the social, cultural, legal and spiritual institutions of indigenous peoples and how these affect the rights of women and children as laid out in local, regional and global frameworks.

73. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF design, in partnership with other relevant United Nations agencies, a protocol for emergency situations resulting from natural disasters to ensure that, in cases of emergency, there are no violations of the human rights of indigenous peoples, especially indigenous youth, children and women, owing to forced relocation.

75. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF and UNESCO support intercultural and bilingual education programmes in conjunction with the indigenous peoples concerned, paying special attention to the right of girls to primary and secondary education.

Future work of the Permanent Forum

102. The Permanent Forum recommends the following:

(d) That the Government of Bangladesh establish a high-level, independent and impartial commission of enquiry into human rights violations perpetrated against indigenous peoples, including sexual violence against women and girls,  and prosecute and punish the perpetrators, as well as provide reparations for the victims concerned.   Indigenous women

107. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) include a focus on the situation and rights of indigenous women and girls in the compilation and implementation of its first strategic plan, for the period 2011-2013, particularly with regard to its efforts to increase women’s political leadership and participation, promote women’s economic empowerment and combat violence against women and girls, and that it draw on the expertise and advice of indigenous experts in the process.
108. The Permanent Forum recognizes the leadership of UN-Women in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, including its facilitation of the engagement of women’s representatives and organizations in the relevant international meetings, and recommends that UN-Women develop a policy on engagement with indigenous women and girls within the framework of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Development Group Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, and ensure the participation of indigenous women in all consultative processes.

110. The Permanent Forum recommends that in its awarding of grants, the Fund for Gender Equality and the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, administered by UN-Women, take into account the need to enhance the human rights and situation of indigenous women and girls.
111. The Permanent Forum recommends that the efforts by Member States, the United Nations system and regional organizations to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, in particular to promote the participation of women in conflict prevention, conflict management and postconflict peacebuilding, take into account the effects of armed conflict on indigenous women, and recommends that in her work, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict pay particular attention to the situation of indigenous women in armed conflict.
112. The Permanent Forum recommends that indigenous women and their views be duly represented in the discussions and outcomes of upcoming United Nations meetings and conferences, including the high-level meeting on addressing desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, to be held in September 2011; the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, themed “The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges”, to be held in February and March 2012; and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), to be held in June 2012.
113. The Permanent Forum has decided to appoint members of the Forum, Eva Biaudet, Megan Davis, Helen Kaljuläte and Valmaine Toki, to undertake a study on the extent of violence against indigenous women and girls in terms of article 22 (2) of the Declaration, to be submitted to the Forum at its eleventh session, in 2012.
114. The Permanent Forum reiterates the recommendation contained in paragraph12 of the report on its third session (E/2004/43-E/C.19/2004/23) and requests that the International Organization for Migration, OHCHR, UN-Women, UNICEF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and ILO report periodically to the Permanent Forum on their progress in addressing the problems faced by indigenous migrant women and girls, including the alarming trend of trafficking within and across national and international borders.

115. The Permanent Forum urges Member States to ratify United Nations and regional instruments combating trafficking in human beings, in particular the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the Convention, and to establish transparent self-monitoring mechanisms to gather information on human trafficking and related phenomena, including the situation of indigenous women and children.

Discussion on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

126. The Permanent Forum also welcomes the recommendations made by a wide range of indigenous peoples’ caucuses and representatives with respect to the establishment of a global steering committee to conduct the preparatory process with representation of the seven sociocultural regions, indigenous women and youth, as well as the participation of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Forum itself.

Discussion on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

135. The Permanent Forum welcomes the initiative of indigenous organizations to hold a preparatory meeting on Rio+20 in Manaus, Brazil, from 11 to 13 August 2011, and calls on United Nations agencies, especially the Division for Sustainable Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Environment Programme, non-governmental organizations and donors, to support the participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and young leaders, in that process.

Special theme: “Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity: articles 3 and

32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”

33. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  States,  United  Nations  agencies,  financial institutions and donors promote and support development processes led and carried out by indigenous women’s organizations, in accordance with articles 3 and 32 of the Declaration, for instance,  leadership  and  capacity-building  schools  and  the  creation  of  funds  managed  by indigenous women.

Half-day discussion on North America

95. Given the fact that the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as other forms of violence, including trafficking and domestic violence, has gained increasing public attention in Canada, the Permanent Forum urges the Government of Canada to provide more emergency shelters serving indigenous women, as well as better victim services, and specific programmes to assist indigenous women who have been trafficked.
96. The Permanent Forum welcomes the decision of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people to monitor violence against indigenous women and girls in Canada, including missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, in accordance with his mandate. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum requests that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, as well  as  the  Special  Rapporteur  on  violence  against  women,  its  causes  and consequences, address the situation of violence against indigenous women in the United States as well.

Comprehensive dialogue with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

110. The Permanent Forum welcomes the capacity-building efforts being carried out by the secretariat of the  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity  with  the  Indigenous  Women’s Biodiversity Network for the Latin American and Caribbean Region, thanks to the patronage of the Government of Spain, and encourages other donor Governments to consider sponsoring similar efforts in other regions, in particular in Africa and in the Pacific region.

Future work of the Permanent Forum

124. The Permanent Forum recommends that indigenous peoples’ organizations, particularly those concerned with indigenous women and young people, participate fully in the design, implementation, monitoring and  evaluation  of  policies  and  programmes  related  to  the Millennium Development Goals. This includes participation in the preparations for the summit on  the  Millennium  Development  Goals  through  national  consultation  processes  and  in decision-making on the proposed summit outcome.

Indigenous women

162. The Permanent Forum notes that 2010 is the review year for the Beijing Platform for Action and for the Millennium Development Goals. Fifteen years after Beijing and 10 years after the Millennium Summit, the situations of poverty faced by indigenous peoples, and their lack of access to basic services like health and education, especially among women, remain pervasive. The Forum reiterates and reaffirms the Beijing Declaration of Indigenous Women as a key tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals with respect to indigenous women and their communities while advancing commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Forum calls on Governments and United Nations agencies to provide space  for  indigenous  peoples,  especially  indigenous  women,  in  the  different processes leading to the review of the Beijing Platform for Action and the review of the Millennium Development Goals to be undertaken at the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly in September 2010.
163. The Permanent Forum recommends that States, relevant United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations and bilateral donors support strategies for intercultural prevention and eradication  of  violence  against  women  that  are  designed  and  driven  by indigenous women’s organizations and that consider indigenous approaches to address gender- based violence.
164. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  States,  United  Nations  agencies  and  other intergovernmental  organizations  and  bilateral  donors  support  the  promotion  and  full  and effective participation of indigenous women in decision-making spheres at all levels, including in administration and civil service, government action, government bodies, political parties, the judiciary and trade unions and that leadership and training processes be considered as pillars for such participation.
165. The Permanent Forum recommends that States: ensure that the collection of statistical data be disaggregated by sex and ethnicity; discourage monitoring that is focused only on national averages; ensure indigenous peoples’ and indigenous women’s effective participation in all stages of the preparation, coordination and implementation of data collection; develop a proper system of indicators in partnership with indigenous peoples and women; and enable a measurement of progress in the different areas.
166. The Permanent  Forum  recommends  that  States  include  ethnic  identification  in  vital statistics  and  health  records,  allocate  more  funding  for  intercultural  services  that  ensure indigenous  women’s  access  to  quality  health  care,  including  emergency  obstetric  care, voluntary family planning and skilled attendants at delivery, and that the role of traditional midwives be strengthened and extended.

 Indigenous women

28. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Population Fund organize, in coordination with the secretariat of the Forum an international expert workshop on the theme “Indigenous peoples and health, with special emphasis on sexual and reproductive health”, and that a report of the expert workshop be submitted to the Forum at its ninth session, in 2010.
29. The Permanent Forum invites the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to prepare a study on the situation of indigenous women migrants.
30. The Permanent Forum urges States, with the effective participation of indigenous peoples, to address the concomitant loss of community citizenship and human rights when indigenous peoples are forced to migrate or are displaced by violent conflicts, with a particular emphasis on indigenous women.
31. In the context of the United Nations system-wide coherence, in particular gender equality architecture reform, the Permanent Forum recommends that States and the United Nations system ensure the inclusion of the priorities and demands of indigenous women.
32. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs guarantee the participation of indigenous women during the 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in 2010.
33. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Inter-agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues convene an international technical expert seminar on indicators of the well-being of indigenous peoples to discuss indicators that could be used in monitoring the situation of indigenous peoples and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, the Forum recommends that relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, States and indigenous peoples conduct assessments of the extent to which they have advanced the recommendations of the Forum on indigenous women, utilizing the framework of the Declaration, as set out by the International Indigenous Women’s Forum. Action for the immediate implementation of these recommendations is required by all.

Recommendations of the Permanent Forum on the Arctic

56. The Permanent Forum urges States to financially resource, empower and support local Arctic indigenous communities in order to give indigenous youth and women, together with other members of the communities, the opportunity to secure and develop their cultures.

Recommendations adopted under the Special theme: Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges

  Recommendations of the Permanent Forum  

8. The Permanent Forum notes that the clean development mechanism, the Clean Energy Investment Framework, the Nairobi Framework, the Nairobi Work Programme and the Global Environment Facility adaptation funds are good examples of the kind of partnership that will become increasingly important. These mechanisms must respond to the needs of indigenous peoples and include them as partners in designing and implementing programmes that are responsive to local problems and to the goals and visions of indigenous women and men.
9. The principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity, social justice and sustainable development and development with identity should remain the key principles underpinning the negotiations, policies and programmes on climate change. The human rights-based approach to development and the ecosystem approach should guide the design and implementation of local, national, regional and global climate policies and projects. The crucial role of indigenous women and indigenous youth in developing mitigation and adaptation measures should also be ensured.

  Participation

30. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and relevant parties develop mechanisms for indigenous peoples’ participation, as appropriate, in all aspects of the international dialogue on climate change, particularly the forthcoming negotiations for the next Kyoto Protocol commitment period, including by establishing a working group on local adaptation measures and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. The Forum encourages dialogue and cooperation among indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women and youth, States, conservation and development organizations and donors in order to strengthen the participation of indigenous peoples in dialogue on climate change.

Adaptation and mitigation

38. The Permanent Forum calls on all States that have not yet done so to implement the 2005 Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other international initiatives that address climate change and biocultural diversity in conjunction with indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, in a full and effective way. The Annex I countries should implement their commitments to the Kyoto Protocol by doing all they can to shift their economic systems towards low-carbon systems, instead of relying mainly on the purchase of emission credits to offset their emissions. The fast-industrializing developing countries should also undertake serious efforts to cut their emissions and develop low-carbon energy systems.

Implementation of the recommendations of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum and on the Millennium Development Goals

  Environment

84. The Permanent Forum recommends that the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity explore ways of ensuring that traditional knowledge issues and indigenous peoples’ rights are fully addressed in the development of an international regime on access- and benefit-sharing, welcomes the proposal of an indigenous expert meeting on traditional knowledge issues related to the international regime and requests the participation of some Forum members, and regional representation of indigenous experts, including indigenous female representatives.

  Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People

105. The Permanent Forum takes note of the recent declaration of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum, at its session held in Lima from 13 to 16 April 2008, and recommends that United Nations agencies, donors and States show their support and cooperation for the next session of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum, to be held in Colombia in 2011.

Urban indigenous peoples and migration

108. The Permanent Forum urges the United Nations Population Fund, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regional mechanisms, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, to conduct studies on indigenous peoples, urbanization and migration, with an emphasis on indigenous women and youth

Future work of the Permanent Forum

121. The Permanent Forum invites the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food and the Special Rapporteur on the right to development to attend the eighth session of the Forum.

Recommendation adopted under the Special theme: Territories, Lands and Natural Resources

Human rights

79. Recalling its 77 recommendations on indigenous women made during the course of its past sessions, the Permanent Forum expresses concern over the slow pace of implementation, expresses its appreciation to Ms. Lux de Coti and to the International Indigenous Women’s Forum for the paper on this matter (E/C.19/2007/CRP.4) and decides to carefully examine it at its next session.

Human rights: dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people

84. The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences for their presence and statements during the sixth session, and to the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children for the statement she transmitted.

  Half-day discussion on Asia

105. The Permanent Forum calls on the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children to hold regional consultations with indigenous women in Asia, and requests that UNIFEM support such consultations.

Half-day discussion on urban indigenous peoples and migration

113. Considering the family separations caused by migration, and the psychological impact on men, children and women left behind, the Permanent Forum recommends that UNICEF:

1. Conduct a comprehensive study on the effects of remittances and the psychosocial and cultural impact of migrations;
2. Promote programmes to ensure continuity between countries of origin and destination in order to ensure continuity in indigenous children’s relationships with their migrant parents and the protection of migrant children;
3. Support programmes for the protection of the rights of men, children and women left behind.

114. The Permanent Forum urges UNICEF and UNIFEM to include urban and migrant indigenous women and their children in their relevant studies on violence against women.

Recommendations adopted under the Special theme: the Millennium Development Goals and indigenous peoples: redefining the Goals

44. The Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women,[1] included indigenous women among those who had encountered particular barriers to full equality and advancement, both as women and as members of their communities. The review and appraisal of the Beijing Platform for Action acknowledged that indigenous women continued to face many obstacles and challenges, which included multiple forms of discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity, as well as the impact of globalization and environmental degradation.
45. Redefining the Millennium Development Goals provides an opportunity to incorporate into the Goals the concerns of indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women. The Goals offer a strategic framework within which to fully integrate the goals of the Platform for Action, which provides an important human rights-based approach to the development agenda for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women, including indigenous women.
46. Owing to the cross-cutting nature of gender equality, it is also critical that gender perspectives be fully integrated into the implementation and monitoring of all the other objectives associated with the United Nations Millennium Declaration[2] and the Millennium Development Goals.
47. The Permanent Forum recommends that appropriate United Nations organizations, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as States, take immediate action to review and monitor the situation of indigenous women and provide comprehensive reports on violence against indigenous women and girls, particularly sexual violence and violence in the context of armed conflict. Indigenous women must be full participants in this process.
48. The Permanent Forum, reaffirming the recommendations on health made at its first, second and third sessions, further recommends that all relevant United Nations entities, especially 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, 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. In the latter context, the roles of traditional 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 the indigenous communities’ values and world views.[3]
49. States are urged to allocate budgets in order to implement quality services to reduce maternal mortality and ensure indigenous women’s access to reproductive health services.
50. The Permanent Forum welcomes the initiative of IOM to establish a coordination mechanism for combating the trafficking of indigenous women and girls.
51. United Nations special procedures are an essential tool for monitoring the implementation of priority human rights issues. The Permanent Forum recommends that the special procedures with a mandate on gender issues (carried out by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children) brief the Permanent Forum each year during its annual session on the situation of indigenous women.
52. The Permanent Forum urges States to intensify efforts at the national level to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women, peace and security, including through national action plans that pay special attention to indigenous women.
53. The Permanent Forum recommends that States foster sensitivity towards the cultures of indigenous migrants and ensure that all cultural and customary practices that negatively affect the rights of indigenous women (for example, female genital mutilation) are eliminated, including through specific legislation.
54. United Nations organizations and States should pay special attention to the specific situation and needs of elderly indigenous women.
55. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Secretary-General, in his report on the study of violence against women, address the particular situation of indigenous women and girls whose suffering is based not only on gender but also on ethnicity and culture.
56. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Commission on the Status of Women report to it on the status of the implementation of resolution 49/7 entitled “Indigenous women: beyond the ten-year review of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action”[4] adopted by the Commission on 11 March 2005.

           [1] Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 2005 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.            [2] See General Assembly resolution 55/2.            [3] See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2004, Supplement No. 23 (E/2004/43), chap. I, para. 89.            [4] Ibid., 2005, Supplement No. 7 (E/2005/27), chap. I, sect. D.  

Recommendations adopted under item 5 Ongoing priorities and themes: follow-up to previous special themes: “Indigenous children and youth” (2003) and “Indigenous women” (2004)

  (b) Indigenous women

106. The Forum emphasizes the unique contributions made by indigenous women within their families, communities and nations and at the international level in terms of possessing and transmitting intergenerationally a wealth of traditional knowledge on the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable environment management.
107. At the same time, the Forum expresses concern that indigenous women continue to be one of the most marginalized groups in many countries, being victims of serious acts of discrimination and flagrant violations of their fundamental human rights. In addition, globalization presents new challenges and problems for indigenous women in many parts of the world.
108. The Forum recommends to the United Nations system and States to implement the recommendations on indigenous women made in the report on its third session in the development of programmes focused on the goals of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People[1] guaranteeing the involvement of indigenous women.
109. The Forum is pleased to take note of the goals accomplished until now by the Task Force on Indigenous Women, reported to the United Nations Inter‑Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality at its annual session in February 2005.
110. The Forum recognizes that:

1.  Gender equality has a central role in development policy with a focus on poverty reduction, human rights and the Millennium Development Goals, in particular economic, social, sexual and reproductive health and rights, including good governance and democratic institutions, and to the creation of a world where people live free from fear and want, in dignity and peace;
2. The elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education requires an improvement in access, continuity, quality, and management of women’s education at all levels with cultural relevance.

        [1] See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2004, Supplement No. 23 (E/2004/43-E/C.19/2004/23), paras. 3, 5, 13 (a) and (d), 14 (d), 31, 42 (c), 43 (a) and (b), 46, 63, 65, 87, 89 (a), (b), (g), (i) and (j).   Recommendations to Member States   Participation

111. Improve and increase indigenous women’s economic and social conditions through:

1. Expansion of employment opportunities;
2. Promotion of the professionalization of their traditional skills, arts and crafts;
3. Access to resources, including microcredit, new technologies and agricultural input;
4. Support the regional meetings of indigenous women and organize training on international, regional and national mechanisms.

112. Adopt measures that ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous women in implementation, follow-up work and monitoring of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals.
113. Ensure that indigenous women’s expertise is reflected in all national and international development strategies and that indigenous women, in consultation with their communities and organizations, are part of the formulation and decision‑making processes of sustainable development initiatives. Efforts towards gender equality should be integrated as part of States’ investments in all of the Millennium Development Goals.

Capacity-building

114. Include relevant information on the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women by engaging indigenous organizations in the reporting process to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other relevant human rights bodies, encouraging indigenous women through their organizations to become involved in the reporting process to the Committee.
115. Establish a fund for indigenous women to support capacity-building and their participation in meetings at the international, regional and national levels.
116. Foster the training of indigenous women in order to gain leadership skills to become community advocates and defenders for indigenous women’s rights to achieve gender equity.
117. Combat, within an appropriate legal framework, and link with Millennium Development Goals, violence against women, including forced prostitution and trafficking of women and girls as well as domestic violence.

Access

118. Reinforce the investments in population and reproductive health which is crucial for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals — to reduce poverty, achieve universal primary education, improve maternal and child health, curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, promote gender equality, ensure sustainable development, and establish a strong partnership for development.

Recommendations to the United Nations system

119. The Permanent Forum welcomes the initiative of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) regional office in Mexico with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the creation of a regional inter-agency group on indigenous women, and recommends continuing support for indigenous women’s issues and replication of the experience in other regions of the world.
120. The Forum recommends that UNIFEM, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and UNDP support the first-world fair of indigenous women art makers, to be held in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, in April 2006, promoted by indigenous peoples from the north of Mexico.
121. Request the Commission on Human Rights to support the request that the Special Rapporteur on violence against women conduct a workshop/study on violence against indigenous women in coordination with the Permanent Forum and to report on progress at the sixth session of the Permanent Forum.

1. Indigenous children and youth

16. The Forum recommends that the United Nations system, in particular UNICEF and WHO, in collaboration with Governments and in consultation with indigenous peoples’ organizations, and with the participation and input from the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, address issues related to the trafficking and sexual exploitation of indigenous girls, and urges States to create programmes of rehabilitation.
17. The Forum, taking into account that indigenous children, youth and women are more vulnerable and are often physically and psychologically mistreated, and that children represent the future of indigenous peoples, recommends that the Council support the declaration of an international day or an international year of the indigenous child, to be celebrated with awareness-raising activities to honor the cultural identity of indigenous peoples.

4. Health

64. The Forum recommends that WHO, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the United Nations Population Fund convene a workshop on indigenous health, with the goal of addressing a system-wide strategy to address the health needs of indigenous peoples and setting out the terms of reference for a study on the health needs of indigenous peoples, with particular emphasis on indigenous children and women including infant mortality, reproductive rights, sterilization, domestic abuse and addiction and the collection of data relating to these issues. The Forum recommends that its focal point and a representative of the Indigenous Peoples. Caucus on Health be invited to attend and be provided the means to participate.
65. The Forum urges the Global Alliance For Vaccination Initiatives (GAVI) to sponsor a workshop and also urges UNDP to co-sponsor a workshop to expand global programmes for immunization and vaccination of indigenous women and children and to assess the need for safety protocols relating thereto. The Permanent Forum recommends that its focal point in health and a representative of the Indigenous Peoples. Caucus on Health be invited to attend and be provided the means to participate.

  Other specific issues

77. The Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences pay special attention to the impact of violence against indigenous women, including war-related violence and domestic violence.

81. The Forum recommends that the Working Group on Indigenous Populations undertake a study on genocidal and ethnocidal practices perpetrated on indigenous peoples, including programmes for sterilization of indigenous women and girls, the use of indigenous communities as subjects for nuclear testing or storage of radioactive waste and the testing of unapproved drugs on indigenous children and peoples.

7. Education

108. The Forum recalls its mandate to “prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues”[1] and invites indigenous peoples’ organizations to consider creative ways of educating and disseminating information on the Forum to indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities, including through art, workshops, radio programmes, posters, indigenous journalism and other culturally appropriate media. To that end, the Forum recommends that the programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations system allocate appropriate resources for this purpose, assist in the production of such materials, include indigenous professionals in the production of such materials and report to the Forum at its third session on the extent to which they have been able to incorporate these actions into their programmes of work. The Forum also recommends that the United Nations Development Fund for Women allocate funding for capacity-building in connection with the Forum and for special outreach to indigenous women. The Forum furthermore recommends that the United Nations Children’s Fund allocate funding for capacity-building in connection with the Forum and for special outreach to indigenous children and youth.

[1] See Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/22, para. 2 (c)    

9. Future of the work of the Forum

128. The Forum recommends that the Economic and Social Council, the relevant United Nations cooperating agencies and Governments of the region provide technical facilities and grant the necessary political and moral support for organizing:

1. The Fourth Continental Summit of Indigenous Women of the Americas, to be held in Lima in March 2004;
2. The Second Continental Conference of Indigenous Women of Africa, to be held in Nairobi, 2003;
3. The Second Conference of Asian Indigenous Women, to be held in 2004.

129. The Forum recommends that the special theme of its third session be, “Indigenous women”.

Data collection  

6. The Forum:

1. Invites United Nations system organizations, including field offices, as well as special rapporteurs and States, to begin to disaggregate data on indigenous peoples generally and indigenous women and children specifically in two categories, covering (i) programmes and services impacting indigenous peoples, and (ii) fiscal allocations for indigenous peoples’ programmes and services, and to transmit that data to the Forum on an annual basis;
2. Invites United Nations system organizations to forward to the Forum information relating to all publications and data sources, including Internet services relating to indigenous peoples, on an annual basis;
3. Invites United Nations system organizations to transmit to the Forum copies of all internal policies and procedures relating to indigenous peoples and to inform the Forum of any procedure or policy which limits their activities to specific regions or States.

2. Health   Health and the United Nations system

9. The Forum notes the significance of incorporating indigenous understanding of the human body, the causes of health and illness and existing practices of treatment of women and men, respectively, for the development of policies and guidelines on health care. It invites the Inter-Agency Support Group:

1. To include the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Global Fund for AIDS at its meetings;
2. To consider ways to establish cooperation between the Forum and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat);
3. To consider, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the relationship between food/native diet and health and subsistence lifestyle;
4. To report to the Forum at its second session on progress made in regard to those proposals.

  Technical seminars

10. The Forum proposes the organization of a technical seminar, including representatives of UNDP, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children.s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Indigenous Peoples Health Caucus, Forum members and States, in order to address and plan a system-wide strategy to address the health needs of indigenous women and children. Special emphasis should be given to issues of infant mortality, reproductive rights, sterilization, domestic abuse and addiction. The seminar should also discuss terms of reference for a study on the needs of indigenous women and children, including the collection of data from United Nations agencies, States and NGOs. Outcomes of the seminar should be forwarded to the Forum for its consideration and action at its second session.
11. The Forum proposes the organization of a second technical seminar to assess existing programmes within the United Nations system and civil society and to address the need to expand global programmes for the immunization and vaccination of marginalized indigenous communities, in particular indigenous women and children. The seminar should also assess existing safety protocols relating to immunizations and vaccinations to ensure that historic abuses which allow the use of unapproved drugs in indigenous communities and children be prevented. The outcome of the seminar should be forwarded to the Forum for its consideration and action at its second session. Attendees of the technical seminar should include UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
12. Organization (UNESCO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Forum States, UNFPA, the Indigenous Peoples Health Caucus and the Global Alliance For Vaccination Initiative (GAVI). Funding for the seminar should be sought from GAVI.