United Nations General Assembly A/RES/59/174 Distr.: General 24 February 2005 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 102 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2004 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/59/500)] 59/174. Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People The General Assembly, Bearing in mind that, in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1 the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights recognized the inherent dignity and the unique contribution of indigenous people to the development and plurality of society and strongly reaffirmed the commitment of the international community to their economic, social and cultural well-being and their enjoyment of the fruits of sustainable development, Reaffirming that States should, in accordance with international law, take concerted positive steps to ensure respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, on the basis of equality and non-discrimination, and recognizing the value and diversity of their distinctive identities, cultures and social organization, Recalling its resolution 48/163 of 21 December 1993, in which it proclaimed the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, commencing on 10 December 1994, with the goal of strengthening international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health, Recalling also its resolution 58/158 of 22 December 2003 and all previous resolutions on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, Welcoming all achievements during the Decade, in particular the establishment of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the contributions to the realization of the goals of the Decade made by the Permanent Forum, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, such as the comprehensive work programme that the Permanent Forum is carrying out for the benefit of indigenous peoples in the areas of culture, education, environment, health, human rights and social and economic development, _______________ 1 04-48670 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.