E/2006/43
E/C.19/2006/11
29. In follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals, the Permanent Forum
urges Governments and agencies to quantify the number of projects and
programmes that they are undertaking in response to the recommendations of the
Permanent Forum. It would also be helpful if they could, when reporting, report on
progress in the process of implementation of recommendations, instead of merely
enumerating activities. Reports could be more analytical, not just activity-based, and
should pick up on relevant recommendations from past sessions that addressed the
necessary theme.
30. As a means of redefining approaches, countries with indigenous peoples are
urged to incorporate the issues and challenges specifically faced by indigenous
peoples directly into the framework of the Millennium Development Goal reports
by: (a) including indigenous peoples within the context of the overall report;
(b) including indigenous peoples in the context of meeting each specific goal;
(c) including indigenous peoples in the planning of the overall report and each
individual goal; and (d) including indigenous peoples’ effective participation in the
planning process of future interventions, and in the implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of programmes and projects that will directly or indirectly affect them.
31. The Permanent Forum appoints Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Parshuram Tamang
as Special Rapporteurs charged with preparing a working paper, without financial
implications, in cooperation with indigenous peoples organizations, Governments
and other relevant institutions, on palm oil development, commercial tree
plantations and mono-cropping and on their impacts on indigenous peoples’ land
tenure and resource management systems and livelihoods.
32. The Permanent Forum welcomes the conclusion of a feasibility study
undertaken by the United Nations University (UNU) to establish a research and
training centre of traditional knowledge, and recommends, should the centre be
established, that indigenous traditional knowledge be a central focus of research and
that indigenous experts be part of the research staff.
33. Indigenous traditional knowledge not only sustains indigenous and local
communities in their daily lives, but is also a key element of their identity and selfdetermination. Such knowledge of indigenous communities, which reflects their
holistic world views, also contributes to the world’s cultural and biological diversity
and is a source of cultural and economic wealth for the communities and for
humanity as a whole. Indigenous knowledge systems are subject, however, to a
variety of threats. In response, numerous practical, legislative and policy initiatives
are under way at the community, national, regional and international levels to
enhance the protection of indigenous traditional knowledge. However, as stressed by
the indigenous experts who took part in the International Technical Workshop on
Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (Panama City, 21-23 September 2005), respect
for the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular their human rights, is at the heart
of their concerns about the preservation, the promotion and the protection of
traditional knowledge and cultural expressions. Due consideration of those concerns
and perspectives, while preserving, promoting and protecting the traditional
knowledge and cultural expressions of indigenous communities, will have a direct
bearing on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
34. The Permanent Forum welcomes and endorses the recommendations of the
above-mentioned workshop on indigenous traditional knowledge by emphasizing
paragraphs 61-74 of the report of the Workshop (see E/C.19/2006/2).
7