E/2004/43 E/C.19/2004/23 (c) women; Create national policies that generate employment for indigenous (d) Improve indigenous women’s access to education and the development of their skills, and reform education systems so that they allow women to take advantage of training and employment opportunities; (e) Strengthen programmes in indigenous communities that ensure benefits for indigenous women. 58. The Forum urges Governments, in addressing economic and social development issues, to make efforts to adopt general strategies that include considerations for the needs and rights of indigenous peoples in the policies, laws and administrative issues that affect them, and they should include participation and consultations with indigenous peoples. Governments should also consider implementing special policies directed to employment creation for indigenous peoples, facilitating access to credit and the creation of small and medium-sized businesses. Recommendations to the United Nations system 59. The Forum recommends that all relevant United Nations entities and Governments: (a) Advise Governments to revise their national legal and administrative frameworks to ensure indigenous women’s equal rights and access to social and economic services and resources, including land ownership; (b) Identify and give recognition to the capacities of indigenous women and their specialized knowledge in the areas of health, natural environment, traditional technologies, crafts and arts, and design appropriate employment and incomegenerating strategies; (c) Provide indigenous women with the appropriate education and training resources so that they can effectively access and participate in mainstream national, regional and international economic institutions. 60. The Forum urges all relevant United Nations entities, especially UNDP, UNIFEM, UNICEF and UNFPA, to: (a) Develop methodologies and strategies to research the underlying causes of the “feminization” and “indigenization” of poverty and to develop programmes, which effectively address these underlying causes of marginalization; (b) Perform systematic needs assessments for indigenous women based on the information provided by indigenous women’s groups and NGOs; (c) Involve local, indigenous women in a decision-making capacity in all aspects of the programme cycle. 61. The Forum requests international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and other regional organizations, to design special programmes for indigenous women to provide them with access to capital and microfinance programmes, taking into account the traditional mechanisms of each community. 18