E/2010/43 E/C.19/2010/15 100. The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to eliminate all assimilation policies that further exacerbate the economic and other disparities between indigenous peoples and the rest of the population. 101. The Permanent Forum urges the Governments of Canada and the United States to financially support indigenous community education systems and their efforts to protect and perpetuate indigenous languages, on a par with their dominant languages. Comprehensive dialogue with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 102. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held an in-depth dialogue with the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 23 April 2010. The Permanent Forum welcomed the participation of the secretariat and expressed its appreciation for its detailed and informative report on activities in support of indigenous peoples (E/C.19/2010/3). Discussion 103. The Permanent Forum commends the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity for the in-depth dialogue concerning its present work in advancing and highlighting the role of indigenous peoples in achieving the goals and mandates of the Convention. There are many areas of the work of the secretariat that have a strong focus for indigenous peoples, such as traditional knowledge through articles 8 (j) and 10 (c) and other important articles, access and benefitsharing, climate change, sui generis and protected areas. The Permanent Forum notes that there are several initiatives that enable indigenous peoples to participate in the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the voluntary fund, which facilitates indigenous peoples’ attendance at relevant meetings under the Convention. 104. The Permanent Forum notes that the meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Article 8 (j) and Related Provisions of the Convention are open to all parties and include enhanced participation mechanisms for indigenous people, who are able to make interventions on all agenda items. The Ad Hoc Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing has, in its most recent decisions, recognized the importance of the participation of indigenous peoples in the elaboration and negotiation of the international regime on access and benefit-sharing. The Forum congratulates the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity for facilitating and collaborating with the Permanent Forum on a code of ethics to protect indigenous traditional knowledge, which is scheduled to be adopted in 2010 at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention. 105. The Permanent Forum takes note of the 2008 Convention on Biological Diversity Gender Plan of Action, which was drafted with the full and effective participation of indigenous women, and notes that the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity continues to cooperate with the secretariat of the Permanent Forum to ensure that the perspectives and strategies of indigenous women in biodiversity-related issues are taken into account in the work being done under the Convention with regard to indigenous traditional knowledge and that capacitybuilding efforts target indigenous women. 10-36959 17