E/2004/43 E/C.19/2004/23 B. Matters brought to the attention of the Council* 2. The Forum has identified the proposals, objectives, recommendations and areas of possible future action set out below and, through the Council, recommends that Member States, the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations, indigenous peoples, the private sector and non-governmental organizations assist in their realization.** 1. Indigenous women 3. The Forum recognizes the unique contributions made by indigenous women within their families, communities and nations and at the international level. At the same time, the Forum expresses concern about the multiple forms of discrimination experienced by indigenous women, based on gender and race/ethnicity, and the complex problems stemming from this discrimination. In addition, globalization presents new challenges and problems for indigenous women in many parts of the world. Indigenous women’s roles have eroded due to the compounding factors of loss of natural resources and depletion of the ecosystems, their transformation into cash economies, changes in local, social and decision-making structures, and their lack of political status within States. Indigenous women, while sharing many of the concerns in the areas of poverty, human rights, and economic and social development with other women throughout the world, also offer a distinct and important perspective on these issues. The fact that “indigenous women” are not a homogeneous category but represent a wide variety of cultures with different needs and concerns, should be a central premise for the design of policies and programmes. 4. The Forum reconfirms its commitment to working tirelessly within its mandated areas and to promoting and protecting the human rights of indigenous women. In so doing, the Forum recognizes the crucial role that indigenous men and boys play in traditional societies in achieving gender equality and that that natural gender balance must be reinstated in culturally appropriate ways, within indigenous societies and beyond, and encourages all stakeholders to enlist their support. Recognizing the progress made by organizations representing indigenous peoples, United Nations agencies and Governments, and building upon the recommendations made in its reports on the first and second sessions, the Forum provides the advice and recommendations set out below (further draft recommendations are issued under item 4). 5. The Forum encourages United Nations bodies whose activities have an impact on indigenous women (including, but not limited to, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations * The Secretariat will review the proposals, objectives, recommendations and areas of possible future action to be carried out by the United Nations under this section and will bring to the attention of the Council at its substantive session of 2004 any additional resource requirements in this regard. ** Due to time constraints before the adoption by the Forum of the present report, a written statement containing detailed information concerning the proposals, objectives, recommendations and areas of possible future action to be carried out by the Secretariat will be submitted to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session in 2004. 3