E/2015/43
E/C.19/2015/10
promote and implement all human rights, consistent with the Charter of the United
Nations and international human rights law. Furthermore, all forms of
discrimination must be avoided.
34. The Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations treaty bodies and
mechanisms, as well as the universal periodic review process, scrutinize the reports
and human rights records of States, so as to effectively address rights ritualism. This
should include ensuring that States’ claims are systematically compared with the
concerns raised by indigenous peoples and civil society.
35. The Permanent Forum highlights that unprincipled positions and actions of
States undermine indigenous peoples’ human rights and the United Nations
Declaration and that such conduct prejudices indigenous peoples globally and
serves to weaken the international human rights system. States must therefore take
steps, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to ensure that their commitments and
obligations are not violated in other international forums, especially following the
World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. In accordance with both the outcome
document of the World Conference and the United Nations Declaration, States, in
conjunction with indigenous peoples, should develop legislation and mechanisms at
the national level to ensure that laws are consistent with the United Nations
Declaration.
36. The Permanent Forum is concerned that legal obligations and commitments
and indigenous peoples’ treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements
with States are routinely denied and violated by States. With regard to interventions
by indigenous peoples on unresolved land rights, including the Six Nations of the
Grand River and others on which the Forum has made specific recommendations in
the past, the Forum calls upon States to fairly and equitably redress the long standing unresolved land rights issues through good -faith negotiations, consistent
with the United Nations Declaration and without extinguishing indi genous peoples’
land rights.
Future work
37. The Permanent Forum notes the participation of United Nations and
indigenous experts in the panel discussion on the proposed indigenous peoples
development index. In particular, the Forum notes the work of States, United
Nations agencies and indigenous experts in developing indicators, such as on
cultural integrity, status and trends in relation to land tenure and food security, and
the Indigenous Navigator project as positive initiatives towards the developm ent of
such an index.
38. In establishing indicators, the focus should be on the vision and world view of
indigenous peoples, based on collective rights, such as those to identity, land,
territory, free, prior and informed consent and women’s participation in local,
national and international decision-making processes.
39. The Permanent Forum intends to make the formulation of an indigenous
peoples’ development index, based on the human rights affirmed in the United
Nations Declaration and international human rights instruments, a recurring part of
its agenda. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Development
Programme, especially its Human Development Report Office, and the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights assist the F orum in
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