Statement by the Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, and Expert Members Vital Bambanze, Darío José Mejía Montalvo, Aluki Kotierk, Hanieh Moghani, Rodrigo Eduardo Paillalef- 8 April 2025

The Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues expresses grave concern over reports of human rights violations and violence against the Indigenous Peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

Statement by the Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, and Expert Members Vital Bambanze, Dario José Mejía Montalvo, Hannah McGlade, Naw Ei Ei Min, Hanieh Moghani, Rodrigo Eduardo Paillalef, Geoffrey Roth, Valentina Sovkina - 7 April 2025

The Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues expresses grave concern over reports of human rights violations and violence against the Indigenous Peoples of Burkina Faso. 

At the 14th plenary meeting of ECOSOC (Decision 2025/215), held on 4 April 2025, the Council elected the government-nominated Members to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for a 3-year term beginning 1 January 2026 and concluding on 31 December 2028.

The elected Members are the following:

Ms. Anne Chantal Nama (Cameroon)

Ms. Nan Li* (China)

Mr. Valts Ernštreits (Republic of Latvia)

Mr. Suleiman Mamutov* (Ukraine)  

Mr. Rodrigo Eduardo Paillalef Monnard* (Chile)  

Mr. Diego A. Tituaña Matango (Ecuador)

As the global population ages at an accelerating pace, the need to prioritize healthy ageing has become increasingly urgent. On 7 April 2025, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA), in collaboration with the Global Coalition on Aging (GCoA), will host a high-level side event at the margins of the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD58).

On 12 March, 1995, the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development was signed at the World Summit for Social Development.

The 63rd Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD63), held from 10 to 14 February 2025, focused on advancing global commitments to social inclusion, resilience, and solidarity in alignment with the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
 

The Commission’s discussions focused on:

On March 11, 2025, the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) Side Event took place at the Swedish Church in New York, bringing together a diverse group of experts and advocates to discuss the critical role of cooperatives in transforming the care economy.

The 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, will convene in the UAE from 2-4 December 2026.

Special accreditation for Non-governmental Organizations and other Stakeholders (including Indigenous Peoples) is now open until 21 March 2025.

Background

For the first time, the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD63), held from 5 to 14 February 2025, featured a dedicated session on the role of cooperatives and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE).