E/2014/43
E/C.19/2014/11
Regional Cooperation to establish a human rights commission and a working group
on indigenous peoples.
26. The Permanent Forum welcomes the initiatives of national human rights
institutions, such as those from Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, and
encourages other human rights institutions to conduct national inquiries on the
rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources.
Comprehensive dialogue with United Nations agencies and funds
27. The Permanent Forum is concerned about the reduction in indigenous -specific
funding for programmes and projects by United Nations agencies, funds and
programmes, for example the depletion of resources of the voluntary fund of the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for accredited indigenous peoples
and local community observers. The Forum recommends that such United Nations
entities ensure substantial funding to support targeted programmes and projects for
indigenous peoples consistent with article 41 of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
28. The Permanent Forum welcomes the important technical Voluntary Guidelines
on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the
Context of Food Security of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) and recommends that FAO and other agencies, in cooperation with
indigenous peoples, organize a workshop on the implementation of these guidelines
in order to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights to land, territories and resources
consistent with articles 25, 26, 41 and 42 of the Declaration.
29. Alarmed at attempts to exclude indigenous peoples of Africa in the application
of World Bank Operational Policy 4.10, the Permanent Forum recommends that the
World Bank immediately initiate consultations with States and indigenous peoples
in Africa as part of its safeguards policy review and ensure the application of
safeguards to indigenous peoples of Africa, as directed by ar ticles 19 and 41 of the
Declaration.
30. The Permanent Forum takes note of the concerns expressed by the African
Indigenous Peoples Caucus on the announcement by the World Bank in February
2014 of its intention to map Africa’s mineral resources by using sa tellites and
airborne mineral surveys. The Forum calls upon the World Bank, African
Governments, investor Governments and the private sector to disclose information
about the “billion-dollar map” project, prior to any intervention and in a transparent
manner, and requests that commitments to international norms and standards in
relation to the rights of indigenous peoples be recognized and respected. The Forum
also recommends that the World Bank involve indigenous peoples’ representatives
in the mapping process and that indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed
consent be respected, consistent with articles 19 and 41 of the Declaration.
31. The Permanent Forum welcomes the study to examine challenges in the
African region to protecting traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore
prepared by Paul Kanyinke Sena (E/C.19/2014/2), acknowledges the support
provided by the WIPO secretariat towards the completion of that study and, in this
regard, calls upon the WIPO secretariat to extend its outreach and awareness -raising
activities in respect of indigenous peoples, with a particular focus on African
indigenous peoples so as to increase their awareness of WIPO processes, and to
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