The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, set up in July 2000, is
still in its infancy and although it may be relatively early to begin
assessing its work, questions are being raised about it within the United
Nations system and among indigenous organizations.An article in Indigenous Affairs of January 2002 compared the Forum to the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. It argues that due to limitations placed on it by the Commission on Human Rights—its supervising body—the Working Group has been unable to address specific instances of human rights abuses, and thus a great number of oral interventions made at its meetings each year are neither followed up nor included in its report. The author cautions that "there is a danger that the Permanent Forum may fall into the trap of being a standard-setting body like the Working Group".
But each differs in several fundamental ways. The Forum's mandate is much broader, encompassing
not only human rights but also health, environment, culture, education and economic and social development, and it reports directly to the UN Economic and Social Council, placing it on the same level as the Commission on Human Rights. This is the highest-level body that can be established at the United Nations without constitutional reform. The purpose of the Forum is threefold: to provide expert advice on indigenous issues to the Council, as well as to UN programmes, funds and agencies; to raise awareness and promote the integration and coordination of activities related to indigenous issues within the UN system; and to prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues.
The Forum is composed of sixteen members—eight are nominated by indigenous organizations and the
rest by Governments—serving three-year terms. This has been a point of contention, as concerns have been raised regarding the possibility of a power differential between the two groups. Yet, neither have all of the government seats been filled by non-indigenous experts, nor have all the indigenous organization seats been filled by indigenous people. Commenting on its reception, Chairman Ole Henrik Magga of the Forum, who is himself a member of the Saami people of Norway, said that "it's a little bit too early to judge, but my impression is that we have been received in a very positive spirit everywhere". Nonetheless, he concedes that indigenous groups "have good reason to be skeptical, because so far the UN system has not been doing much".
The Forum's work includes annual meetings to bring together voices from indigenous organizations, UN bodies and specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic organizations, as well as government observers. While the first of these meetings dealt primarily with procedural issues, the second—held from 12 to 23 May 2003—focused on "Indigenous Children and Youth", highlighting the material and psychological difficulties that indigenous societies face in ensuring the survival, growth and prosperity of future generations. Over 500 indigenous nations, groups and organizations were involved, resulting in a number of recommendations to be presented to the Economic and Social Council.
Seven draft decisions were in the Forum's annual report this year, including: proposals for holding a workshop on the collection of data concerning indigenous peoples; committing a high-level segment of the Council's 2006 substantive session to indigenous issues; confirming the participation of Forum members in meetings of the Council's subsidiary bodies; confirming the working methods of the Bureau of the Permanent Forum, the venue and dates of its third session (which will focus on indigenous women's issues), and its provisional agenda and documentation; and, finally, suggesting a second international decade of the world's indigenous peoples. All of these recommendations were adopted by the Council either by confirmation or by intention to take them into consideration for future action.
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