E/2025/43 E/C.19/2025/8 past. The high rates of child removal by welfare systems are alarming and are often justified through processes that fail to account for the unique cultural contexts of Indigenous Peoples. 71. Forced sterilizations and coerced contraception campaigns are serious violations of reproductive health rights, disproportionately targeting Indigenous women and adolescents worldwide. These practices often stem from systemic racism, colonial ideologies and attempts to control population growth. States must adopt a human rights-based approach to investigate and address these practices. In addition, the Human Rights Council, at its fifty-ninth session, is urged to establish a commission of inquiry – grounded in free, prior and informed consent and Indigenous-run health systems – to document the global impact of such practices. 72. Recognizing the dangers of mercury and other harmful contaminants in the context of extractive industries, the Permanent Forum urges States to implement comprehensive monitoring and regulation of toxic contaminants on the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples, including the restoration of sites and water resources that have been affected. It highlights the urgent need to address the severe impact on the health of Indigenous women and children, including neurological damage from prenatal or dietary exposure, and calls for effective interventions and remediation from health and environmental impacts. Armed conflict and military occupation 73. Indigenous women and children are disproportionately affected by military occupation and armed conflict, which result in, among other things, forced displacement, gender-based violence, trafficking in persons, sexual violence, forced marriage and abduction. These actions are prohibited under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Permanent Forum calls for the United Nations system, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the humanitarian aid sector to ensure that targeted assistance is offered to Indigenous Peoples. The Forum also urges Member States to end impunity and prosecute perpetrators. Dialogue on Indigenous platforms established within United Nations entities (item 5 (f)) 74. There has been growing recognition of the need for formal United Nations mechanisms that ensure Indigenous Peoples’ meaningful participation in global governance. These platforms must respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, governance, and decision-making bodies, systems and institutions. The Permanent Forum will continue to advise States, Indigenous Peoples and United Nations entities to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ roles in multilateral processes. 75. The Permanent Forum heard from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat to the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform; the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa regarding the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus; the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding the newly established permanent subsidiary body on article 8 (j); the International Fund for Agricultural Development secretariat regarding the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum; and the Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems hosted by the World Food Programme. 76. The Permanent Forum strongly encourages United Nations entities to engage directly with Indigenous Peoples where applicable, including at the national and local 14/23 25-07572