The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues recently met. Although the final decisions of the 7th session have not been officially released, I was able to get an advanced, unedited version of the report. Below I've summarized the decisions and recommendations of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to the Economic and Social Council.
Draft Decision I - International expert group meeting on the implementation of article 42 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 implementation of article 42 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 eighth session.
Draft decision II - Venue and dates of the eighth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The Economic and Social Council decides that the eighth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues shall be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 18 to 29 May 2009.
Draft decision III - Provisional agenda and documentation for the eighth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
1. Election of officers. 2. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work. 3. Follow-up to the recommendations of the Permanent Forum on: (a) Economic and social development; (b) Indigenous Women; (c) Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. 4. Human rights: (a) Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; (b) Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenou peoples and other special rapporteurs. 5. Half-day discussion on the Arctic. 6. Comprehensive dialogue with six United Nations agencies and funds. 7. Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues of the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues. 8. Draft agenda for the ninth session of the Permanent Forum. 9. Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its eighth session.
Recommendations of the Permanent Forum
Special theme, “Climate change, biocultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges”
The Permanent Forum recommends that, in the Arctic, Amazon, Congo Basin and Sahara oases, which are indicators of climate change for the rest of the world, Member States work closely with indigenous peoples. The discussions and negotiations on climate change should respect the rights of indigenous peoples to nurture and develop their traditional knowledge and their environment-friendly technologies. In the case of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation and inhabiting the most biodiverse areas in the Amazon, the primary requirement of their free prior and informed consent for any alien intervention must be stressed.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples should serve as a key and binding framework in the formulation of plans for development and should be considered fundamental in all processes related to climate change at the local, national, regional and global levels. The safeguard policies of the multilateral banks and the existing and future policies on indigenous peoples of United Nations bodies and other multilateral bodies should be implemented in all climate change-related projects and programs.
The Forum recommends that States, United Nations agencies, bodies and funds, other multilateral bodies and financial institutions and other donors provide technical and financial support to protect and nurture indigenous peoples’ natural resource management, environment-friendly technologies, biodiversity and cultural diversity and low-carbon, traditional livelihoods (pastoralism; rotational or swidden agriculture; hunting and gathering and trapping; marine and coastal livelihoods; high mountain agriculture; etc.). The Forum further recommends that discussions and negotiations on strengthening the links between climate change, biodiversity and cultural diversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ensure the effective participation of indigenous peoples.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, university research centres and relevant United Nations agencies conduct further studies on the impacts of climate change and climate change responses on indigenous peoples who are living in highly fragile ecosystems, such as low-lying coastal areas and small island States; semi-arid and arid lands and dry and sub-humid lands (grasslands); tropical and subtropical forests; and high mountain areas.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States that have not already done so assign environment a more important profile in strategic planning initiatives at the national level and, in particular, in e-government initiatives so that the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) for the environment is integrated into planning processes from the beginning, along with other national priorities and initiatives (disposal of ICT equipment).
The Forum decides to appoint Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Lars Anders-Baer, members of the Permanent Forum, as special rapporteurs to prepare a report on various models and best practices of mitigation and adaptation measures undertaken by indigenous peoples from various parts of the world. The Forum also requests that these special rapporteurs, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, also prepare a draft declaration of action on climate change and indigenous peoples, which can include a road map for indigenous peoples towards the 2009 Copenhagen Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and beyond. These will be presented at the eighth session of the Forum.
The Permanent Forum calls for urgent, serious and unprecedented action by the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly, along with all United Nations bodies and agencies, recognizing that climate change is an urgent and immediate threat to human rights, health, sustainable development, food sovereignty, and peace and security, and calls upon all countries to implement the highest, most rigorous and most stringent levels of greenhouse gas reduction.
The Permanent Forum urges States responsible for major sources of pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases to be accountable by enforcing and upholding stricter global pollution regulations that will apply to polluting parties.
The Permanent Forum recommends that States develop mechanisms through which they can monitor and report on the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples, mindful of their socio-economic limitations as well as spiritual and cultural attachment to lands and waters.
The Permanent Forum calls on States to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and principles of sustainability and to call on transnational corporations to respect those standards. This applies particularly to highly industrialized States and the transnational corporations that engage in development activities in those States.
The Permanent Forum calls on all United Nations agencies and States to support the reclamation of traditional practices and laws leading to global solutions to climate change.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other relevant United Nations agencies further develop and enhance natural disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies involving indigenous peoples in the development and implementation of those strategies.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights promote the elaboration of a report on the impacts of climate change and indigenous peoples by the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people.
Other articles from Indigenous People's Issues Today on Climate Change include:
Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change: A Human Rights Issues
Indigenous Peoples, Climate Change, and Anthropology
Biofuel and Its Non-Sustainable Impacts: A Case from West Papua
The Sami Indigenous People and Climate Change
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