Dates: 17-28 April 2023
Location: United Nations Headquarters, New York
The twenty-second session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will take place in-person only.
Report of the 22nd Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (with oral amendments): E/2023/43-E/C.19/2023/7
Summary of the Regional Dialogues
Attendance at the 22nd Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues E/C.19/2023/INF/1
International Expert Group Meeting: “Truth, transitional justice and reconciliation processes”. 15-17 November 2022, Santiago, Chile
EGM Report (E/C.19/2023/3)
The Indigenous Peoples Development Branch within the Division of Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs organised an International Expert Group Meeting on the theme, “Truth, Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Processes”, recommended by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and endorsed by the Economic and Social Council.
Pre-sessional Meeting
The Pre-sessional meeting of the Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was held from 6 to 10 March 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia. The pre-sessional meeting was hosted by the Government of Colombia. These internal discussions and deliberations of the Permanent Forum Members to prepare for the annual session are closed.
3.3.23 Press Release (Spanish only)
6.3.23 Press Release (Spanish only)
Questionnaires:
Provisional Agenda for the twenty-second session (E/C.19/2023/1)
Registration
Member States, the UN and other intergovernmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) and academic accredited to the Permanent Forum and NGOs in consultative status to the ECOSOC can participate at the annual session of the Forum.
Pre-registered delegates approved by the Conference Focal Points of accredited Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) and academia, and NGOs in consultative status to the ECOSOC should have received a confirmation letter to the email addressed registered in INDICO system. Participants are kindly requested to make sure that their profile and contact information on the integrated Civil Society Organizations (iCSO) System includes the latest correct information about their organizations.
Registration for UNPFII 2023 was open from 13 February till 4 April 2023. We are unable to accept any late registrations.
All information related to registration is available on the website.
Collection of UN grounds passes
Please note that in-person registration is only open to those who have already registered, been approved, and received a confirmation letter via the INDICO system.
The registration desk with DESA staff will be open during the following times:
· Sunday 16 April from 12pm – 4 pm
· Monday 17 April from 8am to 12:30 pm
· 18 – 20 April from 9am to 12:30pm.
Ot
OFor other times, please present at the UN Pass and ID officials, which is open until 4pm Monday to Friday.
Representatives must bring their UNPFII 2023 Confirmation Letters as well as a valid passport issued by a Member State or an Observer State of the United Nations (or government-issued photo-ID if coming from within the U.S.) in order to collect their grounds pass.
Please keep your Temporary Ground Pass with you at all times during the event, as it will be the ONLY pass valid for Non‐UN Ground Pass holders to enter the UN building and conference rooms.
The United Nations does not charge fees for participation in sessions of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The United Nations will not pay for any expenses in connection with the participation of Observers in the sessions of UNPFII 2023. Such arrangements and costs are the exclusive responsibility of participants
Programme of Work (E/C.19/2023/L.1)
| FIRST WEEK | 10:00-13:00 (New York time) | 15:00-18:00 (New York time) |
| Monday 17 April |
11 a.m. Opening Ceremony, General Assembly Hall Item 1: Election of officers Item 2: Adoption of the agenda and organization of work Statement of the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Mr Dario Mejía Montalvo Statement of the UN Secretary General, H.E. António Guterres Statement of the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly, H.E. Csaba Kőrösi Statement of the President of Colombia, H.E. Gustavo Petro (ES) Statement of the Preisdent of the UN Economic and Social Council, H.E. Ms. Lachezara Stoeva Statement of the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, Deb Haaland
Press conference - watch here |
15:00-16:15 Item 5(g): Thematic dialogues: a) International Decade of Indigenous Languages b) CEDAW General Recommendation No.39 on Indigenous Women and Girls [Interactive dialogue]16:30-18:00 Item 5(f) Dialogue on Indigenous Platforms establish within United Nations entities [Interactive dialogue]
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| Tuesday 18 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 3: Special theme of session: “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach” [Speakers List] |
15:00-18:00 Item 3 (continued): Special theme of session: “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach” [Speakers List] |
| Wednesday 19 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 5 (d) Human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [Interactive Dialogue] |
15:00-18:00 Item 5 (d) (continued) Human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [Speakers List] |
| Thursday 20 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 4 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 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [Speakers List] |
15:00-18:00 Closed meeting for Permanent Forum members |
| Friday 21 April | UN Holiday | |
| SECOND WEEK |
10:00-13:00 (New York time)
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15:00-18:00 (New York time) |
| Monday 24 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 6 Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council, the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and emerging issues [Speakers List]
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15:00-18:00 Item 5(a) Dialogue with Indigenous Peoples (closed meeting) [Interactive dialogue] |
| Tuesday 25 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 5(c) Dialogue with the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes (closed meeting) [Interactive dialogue] |
15:00-18:00 Item 4
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 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (continued) [Speakers List]
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| Wednesday 26 April | 10:00-13:00 Closed meeting for Permanent Forum members |
15:00-18:00 Item 5(e) Regional Dialogues between Indigenous Peoples and Member States
[Interactive dialogue]
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| Thursday 27 April |
10:00-13:00 Item 5(e) continued – Regional Dialogues between Indigenous Peoples and Member States
Simultaneous meetings
[Interactive dialogue]
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15:00-16:15 Item 5(e) continued – Regional Dialogues between Indigenous Peoples and Member States
16:30-18:00 Item 5(b) Dialogue with Member States (closed meeting). concept note [Interactive dialogue] |
| Friday 28 April | 10:00-13:00 Closed meeting for Permanent Forum members |
15:00-18:00 Item 7 – Provisional agenda for the twenty-third session of the Permanent Forum Item 8 Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its twenty-second session Statement of the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (ES) Poem - ABUELOS ARBOLES Y RIOS Closing of the session |
Documents Submitted by the Secretariat of the UNPFII:
Documents Submitted by Members of the UNPFII:
Responses to the questionnaire submitted by the UN system and other Inter-governmental organizations:
Dialogue with Member States (closed meeting)
Dialogue with Indigenous Peoples (closed meeting)
Regional Dialogues
Enhanced Participation of Indigenous Peoples
Third Informal Interactive Hearing with Indigenous Peoples convened by the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly H.E. Csaba Kőrösi took place on Thursday 20 April at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Venue: Conference room 1
Time: 3 – 6 pm
Interpretation available in UN languages
Indigenous participants accredited to attend the 2023 session of the Permanent Forum attended the hearing.
Letter from the PGA on the Interactive Hearing with Indigenous Peoples
Invitation Letter from the PGA to Representatives of Indigenous Peoples.pdf
Speakers List / Interactive dialogues
Please note that each agenda item of the Programme of Work indicates that some will be conducted through a Speaker’s Lists and others with Interactive Dialogues.
The Speaker’s Lists are open to all those who are registered to attend the Permanent Forum as observers. These include representatives of Member States, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations entities, Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and Indigenous Members of Parliament.
Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and Indigenous Members of Parliament can inscribe to Speaker’s List for agenda items 3, 5 (d), 4 and 6 with the DESA Secretariat staff a day before the scheduled agenda item - with one exception, see calendar for registration below.
Members States, intergovernmental organizations and UN entities can inscribe tor the list of speakers with the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) via e-deleGATE.
In accordance with the practice established at past sessions of the Forum, the list of speakers will rotate among statements by a representative of a Member State, followed by a representative of an intergovernmental organization or UN entity, followed by an Indigenous representative. Speakers will only be able to speak once under an agenda item. The time limit for all statements is three minutes.
For Interactive Dialogues, observers at the beginning of each session ask for the floor by raising their hand and pressing the microphone button on their desk. Discussions are intended to be interactive in nature and there will be no pre-established list of speakers.
Given the limited time available and to allow the maximum number of participants to intervene, interventions should be limited to no more than three minutes each, or shorter if there is are large number of requests. The Chair may intersperse the interventions of participating States with interventions by international organizations, representatives of the UN system and representatives of non- governmental organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations.
Schedule of Registration for Speakers List
REGISTRATION FOR SPEAKERS LIST
(ONLY Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations accredited to the UNPFII 2023)
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FIRST WEEK |
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When to register? (date /time) |
Agenda Item |
Programme and date of the meeting |
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Monday, 17 April, 3.30 pm to 5 pm |
3 |
Special theme of session: “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach” (Tuesday, 18 April) |
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Wednesday, 19 April, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm |
5 (d) |
Human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (Wednesday, 19 April) |
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4 |
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 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (Thursday, 20 & Tuesday, 25 April) |
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SECOND WEEK |
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When to register (date & time)? |
Item/session |
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Monday, 24 April, 9:30 – 10:30 am |
6 |
Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council, the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and emerging issues (Monday, 24 April) |
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Please see here for the Information Note for Participants.
Several side events take place at lunch time, evenings and during closed meetings of the Permanent Forum both on and off UNHQ premises. They are organized by Indigenous Peoples Organizations accredited to the Forum, NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status, Member States, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, and others.
Requests to hold a side event have now CLOSED.
Side Events at the United Nations Headquarters:
Side Events outside the United Nations Headquarters:
Note: For IPOs that need interpretation for their events, please contact DOCIP's focal point, Hanane Ajjour: @email
Date: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Time: 6:30p.m. – 9.30p.m.
Venue: The Shed, 545 W 30th St (between 10th and 11th Avenues), New York, NY 1000.
Participants: Accredited participants to the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues ONLY (Indigenous Peoples, Member States and UN entities)
How to get to The Shed via Subway
If you need help getting to the event at The Shed, guides will accompany you to travel via subway from the United Nations to The Shed. To join, please meet the guides at 6:00pm in the main entrance of the United Nations (46th St & 1st Ave). You will travel in groups and will be accompanied by a guide the entire time.
Meeting point: Main entrance of the United Nations 46th St & 1st Ave, New York, NY
Time: 6:00 - 6:20pm
Subway fare (MetroCard): $2.75
Please be ready to pay for this fare at the subway station. If needed, guides will be happy to assist participants to use the MetroCard ticket machines to buy their subway tickets. Please note that this event is ONLY for accredited participants of the 22nd session of the UNPFII. Please have your UN pass ready for check-in.
See here for more information, and click here to RSVP.
14 April, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: Global Indigenous Women's Gathering. Second Floor of the Church Center of the United Nations (CCUN) at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.
19 April 2023, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: The Indigenous Peoples Craft Fair. Eighth Floor of the Church Center of the United Nations (CCUN) located at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. The craft fair is free and open to everyone. Combined Flyers - Caucus meetings and Craft Fair (EN/SP/FR/RU)
Media Links
Press conference 17 April 2023
Media Accreditation
Journalists without UN credentials who wish to attend the UNPFII session with professional equipment should submit an online application on the Web site of the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit: http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/request.shtml. They will need to upload a letter of assignment on official letterhead from a bone fide media organization, signed by publisher, assignment editor or bureau chief, saying that the journalist is assigned to cover the UNPFII session. Approved applicants will receive an email confirmation with instructions for picking up the credentials.
Individuals with NGO accreditation will not be issued press credentials. Letters of assignment from NGOs will not be accepted for press credentials.
Visit the UN Media accreditation page for more information
Without media accreditation, Indigenous community media will not be able to bring professional cameras and equipment in to the United Nations.
Social Media Hashtags: #WeAreIndigenous
Indigenous Media Zone
The Secretariat of the Permanent Forum (SPFII) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC), in partnership with Cultural Survival, is organising an Indigenous Media Zone during the 22nd session of the Permanent Forum in 2023. This will allow Indigenous media, journalists and platforms an opportunity to report on the session through Indigenous worldviews, perspectives and languages and organize media events around the theme of the session - “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach”. Non-indigenous media are also welcome to join the Indigenous Media Zone.
Further, in line with the International Decade on Indigenous Languages, the Indigenous Media Zone will aim to encourage the participation of Indigenous media practitioners in a wide variety of Indigenous languages from different regions.
Programme and Events
The Indigenous Media Zone will provide Indigenous media, journalists and platforms a working space equipped with WiFi and a live stream of events happening inside the United Nations during the 22nd Session of the Permanent Forum. The space will also allow for interaction with non-indigenous media. The Media Zone will include:
Detailed events of the programme will be designed in collaboration with Indigenous media groups and will be announced at a later date. Events will be organized around the theme of the Permanent Forum session and issues related to the agenda of the session. In the context of increasing global discourse on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, events around the 2030 Agenda will also be included.
Main target group and audience
The primary users of the Indigenous Media Zone will be Indigenous media, journalists, bloggers, advocates and spokespersons, from both national media and community media. Non-indigenous media, including UN correspondents, are also be invited to join the media zone, particularly for main
panels and interviews, and to encourage meaningful networking with Indigenous media and channel the voices of Indigenous Peoples into mainstream media.
Organizers
The Indigenous Media Zone is organized by SPFII, DGC, and Cultural Survival, in cooperation with Indigenous media groups and networks and other UN entities.
Indigenous media groups and networks are invited to submit ideas for various media events with topic and format of the event and identification of potential speakers.
PLEASE NOTE: SPFII or DGC do not have financial resources to support travel or other costs for participation in the Indigenous Media Zone.
Dates and Location
The Indigenous Media Zone will be located in the UN Correspondents Association Room (3rd floor, Secretariat building, S-310) from Monday to Thursday, 17-20 April 2023. The space will be open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Registration
Registration is now closed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
My organization is interested in attending the next session of the Permanent Forum. Can we participate?
Participation in Permanent Forum sessions is open to Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and academic institutions. All participants need to pre-register for the sessions of the Permanent Forum. The sessions of the Permanent Forum tend to take place in April or May each year. Online pre-registration begins in January or February on the website of the Permanent Forum. Pre-registration closes about 2-4 weeks before the session starts.
My organization attended previous sessions of the Forum. Do we still need to pre-register?
Yes. All accredited organizations interested in attending the next session of the Forum are invited to pre-register. In addition, all representatives of accredited organizations are requested to register at their arrival at the United Nations before attending the session.
My organization enjoys consultative status with ECOSOC, but we have not received an invitation to attend sessions of the Permanent Forum. How can we pre-register?
All interested NGOs in consultative status should use the online pre-registration system to apply to attend the session.
Can representatives of IPOs and NGOs attend sessions of the Permanent Forum without pre-registration
We do not encourage attendance of sessions of the Permanent Forum without pre-registration. All participants, including those from organizations enjoying consultative status with ECOSOC and holding annual ground-passes, are strongly encouraged to pre-register and register at the site of sessions of the Permanent Forum. The United Nations Secretariat will not be in a position to register participants who did not pre-register before the opening of the session.
Can my organization make a statement at the Permanent Forum session?
During previous sessions the Permanent Forum, representatives of NGOs and Indigenous Peoples organizations have made presentations. Most of the organizations that have addressed the Forum do not enjoy consultative status. In other words, all participants registered to attend the session may make oral presentations, depending on availability of time.
Will the United Nations help me with my visa to New York?
Arrangements for travel, including visa procedures, accommodation and transportation are the responsibility of IPOs, NGOs and other interested organizations. Representatives of participating organizations need to deal directly with United States embassies/consulates in their countries of residence regarding visa issues. The United Nations will send a confirmation letter to IPO or NGO representatives once they have been pre-registered. This confirmation letter may be used by IPO or NGO representatives to request a visa from United States authorities. If necessary, the Division for Social Policy and Development will assist in providing information regarding the status of NGOs and IPOs at the request of American authorities. However, the United Nations does not send unsolicited correspondence to United States embassies/consulates to validate a request made by an NGO or IPO representative to obtain a visa.
Does the United Nations provide funding for IPOs and NGOs to attend the Forum?
The only UN source of funding for travel to participate in the sessions of the Permanent Forum is the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. Please note that applications close in October of the year preceding the Permanent Forum’s Session.
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