E/2004/43
E/C.19/2004/23
Cultural, social and economic development in education
(o) Indigenous peoples should be resourced and supported to establish their
own education systems, including schools, should they so choose. Also, traditional
indigenous education and its structures should be respected and supported;
Education for indigenous peoples in custody or detention
(p) Given the overrepresentation of indigenous youth and adults in detention,
the Forum urges States to consider culturally relevant and appropriate education for
indigenous peoples in detention centres;
(q) The Forum asks that education plans, programmes and policies be
implemented especially for indigenous girls, boys and women.
Recommendations to the United Nations system
20. The Forum recommends that the United Nations system consider the following
recommendations:
(a) The United Nations system should fully explore the protection, use and
promotion of indigenous (including traditional) knowledge and ensure synergies
across the relevant bodies currently investigating the issues (specifically the World
Intellectual Property Organization, UNESCO, the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and others) and furthermore should
invite the Forum to participate;
(b) UNESCO should continue to investigate indigenous pedagogy and its
application to indigenous education in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on
the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples and the Forum
and other relevant bodies. The study should include the use of such strategies as
boarding schools and both their negative and positive effects. To assist with this
investigation into indigenous education, UNESCO is urged to facilitate regional
conferences and a global forum on indigenous education to identify both barriers to
educational equity and good practice;
(c) The Forum calls upon Governments and UNESCO to give more attention
(by increasing their budgets) to developing quality indigenous education policies
(with the participation of indigenous peoples) to achieve the Dakar objectives.
“Education for all” is one of the fundamental objectives of the World Education
Forum that should be achieved by 2015;
(d) The Forum encourages the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNESCO
and other agencies to continue to support, in cooperation with indigenous peoples,
intercultural and bilingual education programmes and to promote in particular the
right of education for girls;
(e) The Forum should work with UNITAR to coordinate training for
indigenous peoples within the United Nations system;
(f) UNESCO is requested to facilitate a world indigenous education
conference, with appropriate United Nations partners (the Forum, UNESCO,
UNITAR etc.), Member States and indigenous peoples. Furthermore, UNESCO
should invite indigenous peoples and the Forum to participate in United Nations
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