E/2003/43
E/C.19/2003/22
3.
Environment
Recommendation 1
Progress of work in the area of environmental development
46. The Forum recommends that the Secretary-General, through the Economic and
Social Council, prepare a report on the implementation of chapter 26 of Agenda 21
and other relevant chapters, such as chapter 36 and 15, that focus on how the
Commission on Sustainable Development, in conjunction with secretariats of other
environmental bodies (Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Environment
Programme, Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Forum on Forests,
UNDP, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) etc.) are implementing
those chapters for indigenous peoples in their work, and that the report be submitted
to the Forum at its third session.
Recommendation 2
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
47. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change consider the possible establishment of an ad hoc open-ended
intersessional working group on indigenous peoples and local communities and
climate change, whose objectives would be to study and propose timely, effective
and adequate solutions to respond to the urgent situations caused by climate change
that indigenous peoples and local communities face. The Forum furthermore
recommends that the Convention consider providing necessary funding support to
Forum members and indigenous peoples to guarantee their participation and to
strengthen their participation.
Recommendation 3
World water
48. With regard to the environmental issue of water, the Forum, recognizing the
indigenous peoples’ Kyoto water declaration made at the World Water Forum, held
in Kyoto, Japan, in March 2003, requests that the Commission on Sustainable
Development and other relevant United Nations bodies (i.e., UNEP, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNDP) consider the
declaration in their discussions on this theme in 2004.
Recommendation 4
Waste, chemicals and pollution
49. The Forum recommends that the United Nations system urge all States to ratify
the Kyoto Protocol, the Bio-Safety Protocol, the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants (the Conference of Parties to the Stockholm
Convention should establish mechanisms for indigenous peoples to maintain an
active presence at its meeting), the Rotterdam Convention on Hazardous Chemicals,
the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
Wastes and Their Disposal and its 1995 prohibition on the export of hazardous waste
from the countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
to non-member countries, and 1996 Protocol to the London Convention on marine
waste deposits etc.
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