E/2021/43
E/C.19/2021/10
32. The Permanent Forum invites the secretariat of the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women to share information, at its twenty -first
session, in 2022, regarding the progress made in incorporating the rights of
indigenous women into the work of the Committee. It also invites States parties to the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Discrimination against Women to
incorporate specific rights-based indicators and information on indigenous peoples, in
particular indigenous women, in their periodic progress reports on the implementation
of the Convention.
33. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Human Rights Council mandate the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment, with the contribution of the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, to undertake a study on incarceration,
deaths in custody and indigenous peoples.
34. The Permanent Forum notes that, over the course of the global COVID -19
pandemic, opportunities for consultations and participation in decision -making have
increasingly moved online. Although in-person meetings and interaction should
always be the preferred option, on-line consultations and decision-making present
opportunities for enhanced participation. However, these online options expose
existing inequalities and a digital divide that is especially detrimental to the
participation of indigenous peoples in many parts of Africa, Latin America, the
Pacific and in rural areas around the world. Recognizing that virtual dialogues,
consultations and other events will continue beyond the pandemic, the Forum
emphasizes that existing mechanisms to support the participation of indigenous
peoples in processes that affect them must adapt to this new environment and support
the online participation of indigenous peoples. This includes purchasing data
packages and facilitating access to electricity and necessary hardware and in-country
travel to gain access to stable Internet connections. The Forum notes that current
administrative processes of the United Nations do not facilitate such participation and
therefore requests that the Secretary-General instruct relevant United Nations entities
to make the necessary arrangements as a matter of urgency.
Follow-up to the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (item 6)
35. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by Member
States in 2015, the Permanent Forum has repeatedly highlighted the importance of
ensuring the meaningful and full participation of indigenous peoples in the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Unfortunately, the world is not on track to meet
globally agreed targets. This has been particularly evident during the period of the
COVID-19 pandemic, in which existing inequities have been exacerbated, placing the
survival of indigenous peoples at greater risk. During the pandemic, indigenous
peoples, in particular indigenous women and girls, have not only been left behind,
but have been left even further behind.
36. Bearing that in mind, the Permanent Forum considers it an opportune moment to
reconsider and adjust the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to design a
non-extractivist, sustainable agenda that fully incorporates a human rights -based
approach.
37. The Permanent Forum is concerned that the concept of building back better has
been interpreted by some States as a means to continue the execution of harmful
development projects, which for indigenous peoples means repeated violations of
their collective and individual rights, expropriation of their lands and resources,
criminalization of indigenous human rights defenders, increased poverty, inequality
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