28. Building on the recommendation contained in paragraph 16 of its report on its sixteenth session (E/2017/43-E/C.19/2017/11), the Permanent Forum strongly encourages United Nations resident coordinators and country teams to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and young people, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and country programme action plans.

35. The Permanent Forum remains concerned about the state of formal education for indigenous young people and calls upon States to fully fund bilingual and culturally appropriate primary, secondary and tertiary education programmes led by indigenous peoples, including mobile education initiatives for nomadic and semi-nomadic communities. Supporting informal and formal indigenous education systems is crucial in order to maintain and transmit traditional indigenous knowledge systems.

43. The Permanent Forum welcomes the participation of indigenous midwives at its eighteenth session and recognizes the important role that they play in maternal and child health. Indigenous women have both higher morbidity and mortality rates as a result of lack of access to health care, discrimination and marginalization. The practices and knowledge of indigenous midwives are crucial to the health of indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, their criminalization persists, with a devastating impact not only on the midwives themselves, but also on mothers, children and communities.

57. The Permanent Forum welcomes the launch of the publication Global Indigenous Youth: Through their Eyes by the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University. The Forum recommends that international organizations, indigenous youth organizations, E/2019/43 E/C.19/2019/10 19-08162 13/28 academia and other stakeholders undertake similar initiatives to raise awareness on the challenges facing indigenous young people.

88. The Permanent Forum encourages UNFPA to organize, in full cooperation with indigenous peoples, a global symposium on indigenous young people and women during the summit to be held Nairobi in November 2019 to advance the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development so that their key concerns are incorporated into the review and appraisal of the Programme of Action.

89. The Permanent Forum expresses concern regarding indigenous young people in situations in which they are increasingly migrating from their communities because of poverty, lack of economic opportunities and climate change. With a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 8, the Forum encourages ILO and IOM, in cooperation with indigenous peoples, to conduct a study, by 2021, on good practices on, opportunities for and challenges in generating culturally appropriate, decent work for indigenous young people. The study should inform the development of programmes and initiatives for indigenous youth employment, both in their communities and in the context of migration.

90. The Permanent Forum welcomes the results of the 2018 High-level Expert Seminar on Indigenous Food Systems, in particular the creation of an online global hub on indigenous food systems, and would like to recommend that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continue work on:
    (a) Indigenous young people towards the creation of a forum on indigenous young people in the coming years;
    (b) Indigenous food systems, in particular in relation to the links with traditional knowledge, climate change and the respect of indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, territories and resources;
    (c) Indigenous women (the global campaign on indigenous women and the leadership and food security schools for indigenous women).

102. Recalling the recommendation contained in the report of its fifteenth session (E/2016/43-E/C.19/2016/11, para. 52), the Permanent Forum urges States to take measures for settlement, protection and security in post-conflict areas and for the construction of durable and lasting peace, promoting the full and effective inclusion of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, in any initiative for peace and reconciliation. The Forum also recommends that the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and indigenous peoples, including women and young people, consider indigenous peoples’ traditional conflict resolution systems for achieving durable and lasting peace.

119. Among the issues discussed at the North America dialogue were the protection of indigenous peoples’ sacred sites, lands and waters; maintaining cultural practices and sustainable indigenous economies; reconciliation and intergenerational trauma; violence against indigenous women and young people; and indigenous peoples’ participation in the United Nations system.

120. The continued criminalization of indigenous peoples who are protecting sacred sites is a major concern in the region, as is the situation of indigenous young people in urban areas that are experiencing suicide and opioid crises, the large percentage of indigenous children who are in foster care and the disproportionate number of indigenous peoples, especially women, who are incarcerated.

43. The Permanent Forum calls for the implementation on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which gives clear guidance to States on the need for them to minimize childhood exposure to toxic chemicals through water, food, air and other sources of exposure. It is critical that environmental regulators be educated specifically regarding article 24 of the Convention.

48. The Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption, in 2017, of the first policy on ethnicity and health by the States members of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and invites the World Health Organization (WHO) to follow this initiative and expand on this work at the global level. The Forum also notes the initiative of PAHO/WHO to develop a strategy and plan of action on ethnicity and health for the Americas, the implementation of a health plan for indigenous youth in Latin America and the launch of the Virtual Health Library on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine for the Americas, and invites PAHO/WHO to report to the Forum at its eighteenth session on progress achieved.

51. The Permanent Forum reiterates previous recommendations that WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNFPA, as well as regional health organizations and Governments, fully incorporate a cultural perspective into health policies and programmes and reproductive health services aimed at providing indigenous women with quality health care, including emergency obstetric care, voluntary family planning and skilled attendance at birth. The roles of traditional midwives should be re-evaluated and expanded so that they may assist indigenous women during their reproductive health processes and act as cultural brokers between health systems and indigenous peoples.

81. The dialogues included discussions on the criminalization of the actions of indigenous human rights defenders; the lack of consultations to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples; the need for effective engagement of indigenous peoples in the 2030 Agenda; violence and discrimination against indigenous women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities; and the urgent need to revitalize indigenous languages.

85. The Permanent Forum welcomes the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) strategy of inclusion and visibility of indigenous women, which responds to the system-wide action plan on the rights of indigenous peoples and the recommendation of the Forum (E/2014/43/Corr.1- E/C.19/2014/11/Corr.1, para. 35) on including the priorities of indigenous women in global, regional and national programmes. The Forum encourages Member States to allocate sufficient funding for the implementation of the strategy. The Forum encourages UN-Women to emphasize enhancing the participation and capacities of indigenous young women and girls and to report on progress made to the Forum at its eighteenth session.

101. The main concerns expressed in this dialogue included the implementation gap between the progress made in institutional, legislative and policy frameworks within the region and the effective measures taken by the Governments; the criminalization of protest and the persecution and killings of defenders of the collective rights of indigenous peoples; the lack of consultations to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples, especially in the context of disputes over land rights, the expansion of extractive industries and agroindustry; and the alarming levels of violence against indigenous women, youth and children, including sexual abuse.

102. The 2030 Agenda and the upcoming 2020 census round, as well as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, are opportunities to achieve progress on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These processes must guarantee the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples at all levels. The Permanent Forum recognizes the need to enhance the participation of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, including indigenous women and youth.

103. The Permanent Forum welcomes the constructive dialogue between the indigenous peoples and Member States in North America on border-crossing issues (honouring the Jay Treaty, the North American Free Trade Agreement and crossborder pipelines), the designation of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages and the creation of space for indigenous youth to participate in the processes of the Forum. The Forum notes the recent second meeting of the North American Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls and encourages Canada, Mexico and the United States to develop a trilateral initiative on transboundary issues of concern to indigenous peoples.

16. The Permanent Forum encourages resident coordinators and United Nations country teams to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and youth, in the preparation of the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks and country programme action plans.

43. The Permanent Forum recommends that States collaborate with indigenous peoples to ensure adequate resources to design and fully implement HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C programmes that address the social, economic and cultural determinants of health for HIV prevention, care and treatment in indigenous populations, in particular indigenous women and youth.

48. The Permanent Forum urges States to cooperate with indigenous peoples to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against indigenous women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities and to provide support for measures aimed at ensuring their full and effective participation in decision-making processes at all levels and at eliminating structural and legal barriers to their full, equal and effective participation in political, economic, social and cultural life.

55. The Permanent Forum recommends that ILO, in collaboration with UNFPA and other relevant United Nations agencies, prepare a study on access to the labour market by and labour conditions of indigenous women and youth and the challenges, barriers and stereotypes that may affect their professional development, for submission to the Forum at its eighteenth session.
56. The Permanent Forum has, in recent years, expressed considerable concern regarding the situation of indigenous youth and the lack of disaggregated data thereon. In 2016, the Forum decided to include a recurring item on indigenous youth in the agenda of its annual sessions and has issued several youth-specific recommendations. The Forum welcomes the progress made and encourages further action by indigenous organizations and youth, as well as by members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, in implementing those recommendations.
57. The Permanent Forum recommends that indigenous peoples’ organizations, as well as the United Nations entities in the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, consult indigenous youth-led organizations in order to include issues pertaining to indigenous youth in their work at the local, national, regional and global levels.
58. The Permanent Forum calls upon the Economic and Social Council, including its youth forum, the high-level political forum on sustainable development, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission for Social Development, as well as other relevant United Nations forums, to include representatives of indigenous youth-led organizations in their meetings.
59. The Permanent Forum recommends that States provide financial support to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples to facilitate the participation of indigenous youth in key United Nations meetings and processes most relevant to indigenous issues.
60. The Permanent Forum notes the organization of preparatory meetings for indigenous youth for its sixteenth session, including the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus meeting hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Forum recommends that this practice be scaled up in 2018, with representative participation of indigenous youth through indigenous peoples’ organizations from all regions, and invites FAO to report on progress achieved to the Forum at its seventeenth session.
61. The Permanent Forum notes the initiative of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) to develop a new health plan for indigenous youth in Latin America and invites PAHO/WHO to report on progress achieved in implementing the plan to the Forum at its seventeenth session.

32. The Permanent Forum appreciates the willingness of Envoy of the Secretary- General on Youth to make visible the situation of indigenous youth, in particular concerning suicide and self-harm, in his advocacy. The Forum calls upon Member States to implement the recommendations of the international expert group meeting on indigenous youth, held in 2013 (see E/C.19/2013/3), in collaboration with the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and with the full participation of indigenous youth. The Forum invites the Network to report on progress in this regard at the sixteenth session of the Forum. The Forum invites the Network and the Envoy to increase the participation of indigenous youth in the sessions of the Forum and all relevant United Nations forums, and to report on progress in this regard at the sixteenth session of the Forum.
33. The Permanent Forum invites the General Assembly to consider the creation of a distinct United Nations voluntary fund for indigenous youth or the earmarking of existing and future funds to increase and enhance the direct participation of indigenous youth at the United Nations. Furthermore, the Forum encourages every State Member of the United Nations to make multi-year voluntary contributions to such existing and/or future funds.
34. The Permanent Forum urges States to take the measures at the national level necessary for the prevention of self-harm and suicide among indigenous children and youth, in particular by promoting the training of experts in the field of psychology who focus on issues specific to indigenous peoples. Such special training should take into account economic, historical, social, ecological and other factors, such as the loss of indigenous languages, cultures and lands.

49. Indigenous peoples often find themselves involved in situations of conflict, mostly relating to their lands, territories and resources or their civil, political, cultural, social and economic rights. During violent conflicts, indigenous peoples are often among the most vulnerable groups as a result of the situations of poverty, political marginalization and systemic discrimination that many still face today. In nearly every region of the world, indigenous peoples are being displaced and severely affected by violence on their lands and territories. In some countries, indigenous peoples are victims of massacres carried out by the army or paramilitary groups during conflicts. In many cases, indigenous women have been used as the “spoils of war” and subjected to sexual violence and rape. Indigenous children are sometimes forcibly recruited to participate in armed conflicts, leaving behind their homes and their childhood.

12. Indigenous peoples worldwide continue to suffer from the intergenerational trauma of colonization, assimilation, loss of language, culture and traditional knowledge and the disintegration of families. Collectively, these problems are linked to the lack of recognition of and respect for the right of self-determination of indigenous peoples. Such trauma can lead to desperation and hopelessness, with indigenous communities frequently seeing suicide rates that are significantly higher than among the general population. This challenge affects indigenous peoples in all regions of the world.
13. The Permanent Forum urges States to recognize that suicidal behaviour, suicide and self-harm are directly related to the social and economic situation of indigenous peoples in specific countries and primarily linked to loss of self- identification and departure from the roots of traditional culture and ways of life. This, in turn, is linked to the loss by indigenous peoples of their rights to their lands and territories, natural resources, traditional ways of life and traditional uses of natural resources.
14. The Permanent Forum welcomes information received from States and indigenous peoples on current initiatives and strategies to tackle self-harm and suicide among indigenous children and young people at the national level, as well as on international efforts in the Arctic and Latin America. In particular, at the regional level, the Forum welcomes the information from the Pan American Health Organization on initiatives that are being conducted in Latin America. The Forum is, however, concerned by the lack of coordination at the global level.
15. The Permanent Forum therefore urges the World Health Organization to develop a strategy and programme to tackle self-harm and suicide among indigenous children and young people at the global level. The Forum recommends taking into account the initiatives that are being conducted at the regional level, in particular by the Pan American Health Organization, and using them as a basis for further expansion. As a first step, the Forum suggests that the World Health Organization gather evidence and initiate research on the prevalence of self-harm and suicide among indigenous children and young people at the global level and prepare a compilation of good practices on prevention of self-harm and suicide among indigenous young people, publishing its findings by 1 January 2017.
16. The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Children’s Fund develop and adopt a comprehensive and distinct policy on indigenous children and young people, taking into account the human rights affirmed in the United Nations Declaration and in consultation and collaboration with indigenous peoples and indigenous children and youth organizations in particular.
17. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth, in cooperation with indigenous young people, urgently address self-harm and suicide among indigenous young people and invites him to inform the Forum on progress in that regard at its fifteenth session.
18. The Permanent Forum urges all States to substantially increase the human and financial resources made available to all indigenous communities and schools to prevent self-harm and suicide among young people, and for holistic treatment based on cultural, spiritual and linguistic revitalization, providing healthy and positive lifestyle choices and access to traditional methods of counselling based on accurate and reliable data.

40. The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States actively engage with their indigenous peoples in both developed countries and developing countries, including indigenous women, indigenous youth and indigenous persons with disabilities, in developing key indicators on indigenous peoples, including for data disaggregation, to be included in the overall indicators for the post-2015 development agenda to be adopted in March 2016.

38. Poverty and inequality are structural problems and the positive impacts of social policies are often not sufficient to reduce the disparities in access to human development opportunities for indigenous children and youth. Human development is the process of enlarging people’s freedoms and access to equal opportunities and of improving their well-being. Owing to their marginalization, indigenous children and youth either do not have or struggle to have the opportunity to lead lives that they value or to improve their situation in order to have the chance to lead full lives.
39. The economic model of extractivism and social exclusion, in addition to historical factors of colonization and discrimination, is creating new gaps between indigenous children and youth and non-indigenous children and youth. The historical gaps have been aggravated by these new problems and require special attention.
40. The Permanent Forum underscores the fact that the plight of children and youth in the African region is severe and that the situation of indigenous children and youth is even more critical because they are the primary victims of war, poverty, hunger, starvation, malnutrition and disease. Many indigenous children and youth make their way through life impoverished, abandoned, uneducated, malnourished, discriminated against, neglected and vulnerable. For them, life is a daily struggle for survival. For many, the concept of childhood as a time to grow, learn, play and feel safe is meaningless.
41. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the efforts and initiatives of States and United Nations agencies to promote mother-tongue based multilingual education, develop health programmes and provide skills to indigenous children and youth. In this regard, the Forum encourages States and United Nations agencies to increase their efforts in a targeted and wide-scale manner to respond to the needs and priorities of indigenous children and youth, especially in the areas of education and health, in a manner that is culturally sensitive and ensures their overall well-being consistent with articles 11, 14, 41 and 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
42. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the entry into force on 14 April 2014 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure. In this regard, it recommends that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund, other United Nations agencies and States support the dissemination of the guide to this Optional Protocol, including its translation into different languages and the building of capacity among indigenous organizations and institutions to make effective use of the Optional Protocol in promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous children and youth.
43. The Permanent Forum urges States to generate statistics disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, indigenous identity, language, language skills and self-identification, and to provide sources of data to allow for a more accurate assessment of whether indigenous children and youth are actually benefiting from the expenditure earmarked for them. The Forum also urges United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to support member States in generating statistics and the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and academic centres to produce a toolkit that provides a comprehensive and an accurate overview of human development indicators concerning indigenous children and youth.
44. The Permanent Forum further urges States to improve their collection of data on self-harm and suicide among indigenous children and youth, as well as on violence against indigenous women, boys and girls, to facilitate better understanding of the extent of the problem. States should commit to reducing the incidence of self-harm, violence and suicide among indigenous children and youth through the allocation of adequate resources to holistic prevention and support services, in partnership with indigenous peoples.
45. The Permanent Forum urges States to implement articles 11 and 13 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular in relation to the practice and revitalization of indigenous peoples’ languages, cultural traditions and customs as a way of building resilience and preventing self-harm, violence and suicide.
46. The Permanent Forum also urges States to fund and deliver training in suicide prevention and mental health awareness to all teaching and non-teaching staff in all schools attended by indigenous children. The development of localized training programmes adapted to each culture consistent with articles 11, 14, 15 and 31 should be encouraged.
47. The Permanent Forum further urges the General Assembly to proclaim an international year of the world’s indigenous children and youth.

71. The Permanent Forum appoints Álvaro Pop, a member of the Forum, to undertake in collaboration with other members of the Forum a study on the situation of indigenous children with disabilities in rural areas, to be submitted at its fourteenth session. The study would build on and complement the findings of previous studies undertaken by members of the Forum (see E/C.19/2014/5 and E/C.19/2013/6).

7. In sexual health and reproductive rights there is a need for HIV-sensitive, gender-sensitive and age-sensitive sexual health education that respects cultural sensitivities in pre-testing and post testing conditions and delivery of services. The Permanent Forum recommends:
   1. That, in the design and implementation of its strategic plan for the period 2014-2018, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) take into consideration the rights of indigenous women and young people;
   2. That contributions be made to ministries of health and indigenous women’s organizations to consolidate their work on intercultural standards for high-quality sexual health and reproductive rights and maternal health and to assess experiences of intercultural health models in other regions of the world in order to identify opportunities for South-South cooperation;
   3. That efforts be made to ensure the integration of indigenous peoples’ rights into national and subnational strategies on gender-based violence and to promote the delivery of culturally acceptable critical services to address gender- based violence and sexual violence, with a focus on adolescents, youth, migrants and indigenous women with disabilities;
   4. That the United Nations country teams contribute to strengthening and integrating the rights of indigenous women and youth into national and subnational development strategies and sectoral plans, particularly but not exclusively in the areas of sexual health and reproductive rights and maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as in adolescent and youth policies and plans;
   5. That contributions be made to supporting work at the country level on the elimination of female genital mutilation/cutting among indigenous girls, including the elimination of other forms of harmful practices, for example early and forced marriage and early unwanted pregnancies;
   6. That efforts be made to promote the rights of indigenous youth at the regional and country levels, including their participation in the International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014 processes, and, where possible, their participation in UNFPA-led discussions on the post-2015 development agenda.
8. The Permanent Forum reiterates its previous recommendations that address the alarming number of suicides among indigenous youth. The Forum encourages community organization for safe spaces and low-threshold health services, respecting non-discrimination, in particular where discrimination based on ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation is concerned. The United Nations system, in particular the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), should emphasize the provision of mental health services, with particular efforts to address suicide among indigenous youth.
9. The Permanent Forum requests WHO, in cooperation with indigenous health providers, to conduct a study on the prevalence and causes of suicide among indigenous youth and on efforts being made, including culture-based approaches, to prevent suicide and promote mental health and wellness. The Forum recommends that the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues and WHO organize an expert group meeting to review policies and best practices with regard to engaging indigenous youth on the prevention of suicide.
10. To draw more attention to diabetes and other non communicable diseases, the Permanent Forum recommends that WHO, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Governments develop action plans to improve access by indigenous peoples living with diabetes to health prevention and care of diabetes and non-communicable diseases. The Forum urges States to establish or reinforce community-based health programmes that empower and educate indigenous women and children to prevent and overcome diabetes and non communicable diseases.

32. The Permanent Forum recognizes the particular concerns of African indigenous youth, who are striving against political, social and economic challenges, poverty, marginalization and a lack of capacity development and employment. The Permanent Forum calls upon, among others, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union, including the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, to provide adequate capacity-building programmes and opportunities to enable African indigenous youth, women and persons with disabilities to engage meaningfully with States and other key development players, including by organizing and sponsoring attendance at training sessions, conferences and other forums on indigenous issues.

37. The high rate of indigenous children who are out of school requires urgent attention, in particular in respect of securing access by girls to high-quality and relevant education that respects the cultures and traditions of the communities and that is responsive to their needs. Given that many indigenous peoples live in regions that have been defined as geographically remote or inaccessible, and many services do not reach such indigenous and/or nomadic communities, there are also serious challenges regarding the long distances required to reach hospitals and health-care centres, which lead to higher maternal and infant mortality rates in indigenous communities. The Permanent Forum urges States to ensure that health and education services reach remote areas and meet the needs of nomadic peoples.

42. Extremely concerned about the physical and moral violence being perpetrated against indigenous human rights defenders, the Permanent Forum recommends that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders prepare a report devoted to these alarming conditions and actions, especially in the context of indigenous women and children.

47. The Permanent Forum takes notes of the recent publication of the adolescent- friendly version of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by UNICEF, the Forum and the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. The Forum recommends that UNICEF, Member States and indigenous peoples translate this publication into all languages, in particular indigenous languages. The Forum also recommends that Member States, indigenous peoples and others use this publication in the curricula of studies of indigenous and non-indigenous youth.

100. The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States and the United Nations system involved in the processes leading to the development agenda beyond 2015 make concerted and targeted efforts to reach out to, and engage in a truly inclusive process with, indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, youth and persons with disabilities, to ensure that their rights and priorities are included in all processes relating to the definition of the themes and priorities for the post-2015 development agenda and of the sustainable development goals.

105. The Permanent Forum recommends that the co-chairs of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals invite members of the Forum and representatives of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, youth and persons with disabilities, to participate in the dedicated meeting that the co-chairs intend to convene later in 2013 in order to have a comprehensive dialogue and interaction with indigenous peoples.

115. The Permanent Forum takes note of the final report of the three-day international expert group meeting on the theme “Indigenous youth: identity, challenges and hope: articles 14, 17, 21 and 25 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (E/C.19/2013/3) and endorses its recommendations.
116. The Permanent Forum recommends that all Member States and intergovernmental agencies ensure that efficient programming is developed in order for the positive transformation of social problems stemming from the weak and inadequate implementation of articles 7, 17, 21 and 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This programming has to be targeted at indigenous youth for fundamental change.
117. The Permanent Forum reiterates the call, made at its fifth and eleventh sessions, upon United Nations agencies and funds to conduct and support regional and international human rights training programmes aimed at building the capacity and advocacy skills of indigenous youth. The Forum further recommends the use of youth forums, social media and other popular cultural forms of communication to disseminate information and training material on the rights of indigenous youth and to facilitate consultation processes at the national and international levels.

5. The ongoing manifestations of such doctrines are evident in indigenous communities, including in the areas of: health; psychological and social well-being; denial of rights and titles to land, resources and medicines; conceptual and behavioural forms of violence against indigenous women; youth suicide; and the hopelessness that many indigenous peoples experience, in particular indigenous youth.

11. The Permanent Forum recommends that States and the United Nations system, with particular attention to the activities of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), introduce indigenous youth perspectives into existing youth policies and plans, including the five-year action agenda of the Secretary-General to address health issues. In addition, there should be a distinct focus on indigenous youth by improving participation in decision- making and by introducing and including mental health services for young people, with particular efforts to address suicide among indigenous youth.

15. The Permanent Forum recommends that the relevant United Nations agencies and Member States with reindeer herding peoples support training and education programmes for indigenous reindeer herding youth and communities in order to secure the future sustainability and resilience of the Arctic and sub-Arctic indigenous pastoral reindeer herding societies and cultures in the face of climate change, land-use change and globalization.

19. The Forum expresses its concerns regarding continued violence against women and, owing to the seriousness of these conditions, reiterates its previous recommendations regarding: human and sex trafficking; prostitution and trans-border issues; the disappearance, or murder, of aboriginal women; issues related to identification and birth certificates; environmental violence; intergenerational trauma; youth suicide; peace and security; conflict prevention and resolution; cultural practices such as female genital mutilation or cutting; bride price and promised brides; racism and discrimination; and data disaggregation.

25. The Forum notes with appreciation the continuing research on violence against indigenous girls, adolescents and young women conducted by many Governments and agencies, including UNICEF, UN-Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), WHO and the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children, and the efforts of those agencies to address gaps in knowledge on the issue, increase resources and capacity and identify better ways to work collaboratively with indigenous women.

27. The Forum recommends that all States install gender-sensitive action plans and independent self-reporting mechanisms that give particular attention to indigenous peoples, with the aim of protecting victims, prosecuting perpetrators and preventing human trafficking and related serious exploitation in all its forms, in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, both supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
28. Celebrating 22 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is the first legally binding international instrument affirming human rights for all children, the Permanent Forum welcomes the adoption of the third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, enabling individual claims and the use of the examination process, and urges States to accede to this important instrument regarding children in the most vulnerable situations, many of whom are indigenous, to allow them access to recourse and redress.

36. The Permanent Forum reiterates the call, made at its tenth session, to United Nations agencies and funds to conduct and support regional and international human rights training programmes aimed at building the capacity and advocacy skills of indigenous youth. Furthermore, the Forum recommends the use of social media, youth forums and other popular cultural forms of communication to disseminate information and training material on the rights of indigenous youth and to facilitate consultation processes at the national and international levels.

87. The Permanent Forum recommends that United Nations organizations, funds and programmes, in particular the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), prepare a special report for the Conference on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, the objectives of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, the Millennium Development Goals and the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. It also recommends that the report contain disaggregated statistics in relation to indigenous women, youth and children and address associated thematic issues such as economic sustainability and youth employment.

93. The Permanent Forum notes that indigenous youth in the region are often forced to leave their home and lands to receive an education, which can pose an obstacle to the right to education. The Permanent Forum urges States in Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia to take measures to ensure the enjoyment of the right to education by indigenous youth. The Permanent Forum encourages States of the region to facilitate the development of indigenous peoples’ self-administration, the development of their inner potential and human resources, forming parliaments following the example of the Sami people; and decent representation of the small-numbered indigenous peoples in the bodies of legislative and executive power on all levels.

97. The Permanent Forum welcomes with appreciation the decision of the General Assembly, in its resolution 66/141, to request that the Secretary-General submit to the Assembly at its sixty-seventh session a comprehensive report on the rights of the child, including a focus on indigenous children. The Forum wishes to take part in any initiative undertaken by the Secretary-General in preparing the comprehensive report on the rights of the child.
98. The Permanent Forum also welcomes the interest of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children in joining the Inter-Agency Support Group and calls upon the Special Representative to work closely with the members of the Forum in preparing a section on the situation of indigenous children in the Special Representative’s annual reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

101. The Permanent Forum appoints Ms. Eva Biaudet, a member of the Forum, to undertake a study on the right to participation in decision-making processes of indigenous youth in the Nordic countries, to be submitted to the Forum at its twelfth session.

121. The Permanent Forum takes note of the UNDP Global Programme for Electoral Cycle Support initiative, with its focus on indigenous women and youth in Latin America, and appreciates the contributions provided by donors to ensure the success of the initiative. The Forum recommends that Member States, UN-Women and UNICEF provide financial support for this important initiative for indigenous women and youth.

10. The Permanent Forum notes the progress achieved by the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the implementation of a programme on electoral processes with a focus on indigenous women and youth. However, the Permanent Forum is concerned about the Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development in Asia and the Pacific, a programme that has critically contributed to promoting indigenous peoples’ issues and rights in the region. The Permanent Forum urges UNDP to maintain and strengthen this important programme.

15. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues compile a database on case studies showing the progress made by Member States and organizations regarding indigenous youth rights in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

49. The Permanent Forum calls upon all member States and United Nations agencies to respond to the annual questionnaire from the secretariat of the Permanent Forum in order to provide information on reliable practices that lead to the full and effective implementation of the Declaration. Further, the Forum recommends that the secretariat of the Permanent Forum include questions that particularly focus on indigenous children and youth.

51. The Permanent Forum recommends that the secretariat of the Permanent Forum, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, UNDP and the United Nations Programme on Youth cooperate closely with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus to conduct and support regional and international human rights training programmes to build the capacity and advocacy skills of indigenous youth.

55. The Permanent Forum reiterates the recommendation, contained in paragraph 17 of the report on its second session (E/2003/43-E/C.19/2003/22), related to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Permanent Forum invites OHCHR, in particular the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, to report on the situation of indigenous children to the Forum at its eleventh session.

61. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the equity policy of UNICEF and pays particular attention to vulnerable indigenous children and youth in terms of food security, shelter, health and education. UNICEF, in developing its indigenous peoples policy, should consider the standards set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in relation to indigenous children and youth.
62. The Permanent Forum posed questions to UNICEF addressing a number of issues, including:
    1. The various types of obstacles posed to the Fund’s work with indigenous peoples and whether these were similar in the various regions of the world;
    2. How the participation of indigenous organizations, indigenous authorities or communities, and indigenous youth was being ensured in UNICEF projects implemented outside Latin America;
    3. How the Fund’s work with minorities differed from that with indigenous peoples in various regions of the world;
    4. How UNICEF projects focused on indigenous children might differ from Fund projects directed at children in general;
    5. Whether UNICEF had a specific budget to fulfil its mandate with regard to indigenous children;
    6. What degree of importance UNICEF attached to guaranteeing access to medicines and treatments for indigenous children living with HIV and AIDS;
    7. How UNICEF addressed the problem of indigenous child soldiers;
    8. What type of policy UNICEF applied to carrying out bilingual and intercultural education in communities with a majority indigenous population;
    9. Whether UNICEF had information regarding child pornography and the illegal trafficking of indigenous children, and how it was addressing those problems;
    10. Whether the Fund’s work with indigenous children differed in terms of indigenous boys and girls;
    11. What measures UNICEF was taking to empower and involve indigenous youth in developing its policies for them;
    12. What efforts UNICEF was making to promote and protect the rights of indigenous children in industrialized countries;
    13. In what manner UNICEF was addressing the impact of migration on indigenous children;
    14. What advances UNICEF was making in the development of its organizational framework regarding its work with indigenous children.
63. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF operationalize and implement its strategic framework on indigenous and minority children and report to the Forum in 2012 on measures undertaken to that end.
64. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF, when completing its strategic policy framework on indigenous peoples, include indigenous youth in the design of the policy. In addition, particular attention is needed to reflect the diversity among indigenous children and to focus on vulnerable groups, such as victims of human trafficking and child pornography, as well as groups facing manifold discrimination based on gender, disability or sexual orientation.
65. In support of their country-level programming, and with a view to a deeper appreciation of indigenous peoples’ perceptions of such interventions, UNICEF and UNFPA should undertake a study on the social, cultural, legal and spiritual institutions of indigenous peoples and how these affect the rights of women and children as laid out in local, regional and global frameworks.
66. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF prepare a report on the state of the world’s children, with a thematic focus on indigenous children. The report should give special attention to the implementation by Member States of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and general comment No. 11 (2009) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on indigenous children and their rights under the Convention. Furthermore, the Forum requests UNICEF to begin to disaggregate data on indigenous children, including from its existing database.
67. The Permanent Forum recommends that UNICEF allocate at least one fellowship to an indigenous young person from each region every year for a term of at least three months, to empower indigenous youth and promote knowledge and experience regarding the United Nations system and the work of the Fund, and including financial support.
68. Bearing in mind the principle of free, prior and informed consent as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum recommends that relevant UNICEF materials be translated into the languages of and made accessible to the indigenous peoples with whom the Fund is working so that they can participate fully in the planning and implementation of projects that directly or indirectly affect them.
69. UNICEF should consider developing projects to benefit indigenous children in developed countries as required, taking into consideration that many indigenous children in such countries, mainly those living in rural areas, face the same problems as indigenous children in developing countries.
70. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF coordinate its activities and operations with the United Nations Programme on Youth, the secretariat of the Forum and the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus to ensure the participation of indigenous youth in the upcoming high-level meeting on youth.
71. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF recognize and respect the right of free, prior and informed consent in the preparation and implementation of its strategic policy framework on indigenous peoples.
72. The Permanent Forum recommends that UNICEF continue to gather data on the issue of children and migration and information on the effects of migration on children, recognizing in particular the situation of indigenous children, the risks of serious exploitation, such as trafficking in human beings for various purposes, and the restoration of rights to victims and vulnerable children, such as street children, through all country-level programmes.
73. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF design, in partnership with other relevant United Nations agencies, a protocol for emergency situations resulting from natural disasters to ensure that, in cases of emergency, there are no violations of the human rights of indigenous peoples, especially indigenous youth, children and women, owing to forced relocation.
74. The Permanent Forum recommends that UNICEF establish a particular budget and strengthen programmes and projects for indigenous children and youth.
75. The Permanent Forum requests that UNICEF and UNESCO support intercultural and bilingual education programmes in conjunction with the indigenous peoples concerned, paying special attention to the right of girls to primary and secondary education.

77. The Permanent Forum decides to appoint Myrna Cunningham and Alvaro Pop to prepare jointly with UNICEF a report on the situation of indigenous children in Latin America and the Caribbean and to present it to the Forum at its eleventh session.

116. The Permanent Forum urges Member States to ratify United Nations and regional instruments combating trafficking in human beings, in particular the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the Convention, and to establish transparent self- monitoring mechanisms to gather information on human trafficking and related phenomena, including the situation of indigenous women and children.

63. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Plurinational State of Bolivia continue the implementation of specific policies in the areas of housing, health and education in order to benefit the freed communities, paying particular attention to those who have been subjected to servitude, and especially children and adolescents.

77. The Permanent Forum notes that in supporting indigenous youth, the Indigenous Youth Caucus has been a consistent voice at the sessions of the Permanent Forum, while the United Nations Programme on Youth has dedicated a chapter of its 2009 report to the theme “Indigenous youth and climate change”.

82. The Permanent Forum recommends that the Government of Paraguay should give priority, in its emergency plans, to the protection of vulnerable indigenous children from practices of forced labour and other forms of exploitation.

56. The Permanent Forum urges States to financially resource, empower and support local Arctic indigenous communities in order to give indigenous youth and women, together with other members of the communities, the opportunity to secure and develop their cultures.

72. The Permanent Forum welcomes the convening by UNICEF, the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNESCO, the Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Indigenous Programme of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, and the indigenous peoples and organizations throughout Latin America in the regional meeting on child labour, to be held in Lima in November 2009. The objective of the meeting is to address within the framework of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples challenges that are faced by children regarding the worst forms of exploitation and the violation of the rights of children.

88. The Permanent Forum recommends that all States apply the principles of general comment No. 11 (2009) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, entitled “Indigenous children and their rights under the Convention”.

99. The Permanent Forum welcomes the effort of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish a regional human rights mechanism and offers its expertise and cooperation in this matter. The Forum recommends that the mechanism be called the “ASEAN Human Rights Commission” and that the commission explicitly recognize indigenous peoples in its terms of reference. We look forward to a strong commission with full investigatory and implementation powers, which uses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as its framework in dealing with indigenous peoples’ issues. The Forum also recommends that the commission establish a committee on indigenous peoples in addition to its proposed committees on migrant workers and women and children.

10. The principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity, social justice and sustainable development and development with identity should remain the key principles underpinning the negotiations, policies and programmes on climate change. The human rights-based approach to development and the ecosystem approach should guide the design and implementation of local, national, regional and global climate policies and projects. The crucial role of indigenous women and indigenous youth in developing mitigation and adaptation measures should also be ensured.

89. The Permanent Forum is profoundly concerned about the report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education regarding the extensive child-labour practices in many States involving indigenous children, which represents a grave violation of their human rights, including their right to education. The Forum urges States to consider their obligations in this regard according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Conventions No. 138 (Minimum Age Convention) and No. 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention).

100. The Permanent Forum welcomes the recognition by UNICEF of the valuable contributions indigenous children and youth can make in their local communities to ensure the sustainability of climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. The Forum urges the Fund to continue to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on indigenous children and youth, and requests that it ensure the effective participation of indigenous children and youth in the discussions on and solutions to environmental issues in accordance with article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
101. The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Indigenous Youth Caucus and calls for its continued, effective participation in the sessions of the Forum, as well as in other decision-making processes concerning indigenous peoples’ rights. The Forum requests its secretariat and the United Nations Youth Unit in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to continue facilitating the involvement of the Youth Caucus in its annual sessions.

108. The Permanent Forum urges the United Nations Population Fund, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regional mechanisms, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, to conduct studies on indigenous peoples, urbanization and migration, with an emphasis on indigenous women and youth.

113. The Permanent Forum notes the intention of the members of the North American indigenous caucus to hold a conference on indigenous children and youth in detention, custody, adoption and foster care, and urges members of the caucus to invite members of the Forum, Government representatives and youth representatives to discuss model programmes and effective measures to address the disproportional representation of indigenous children and youth in detention, custody, adoption and foster care.

42. The Permanent Forum recommends that the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), States, non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples’ organizations join efforts in implementing appropriate expert health-care actions to prevent disastrous disease problems affecting indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and recent contact, and consider adopting rapid-effect emergency procedures in situations where the health situation is critical, as it is at present in the Javari Valley in Brazil.

65. Calling attention to the high rates of suicide among indigenous youth in some countries, the Permanent Forum reiterates its call for States and relevant national aboriginal health bodies to convene a meeting to assess the root causes of indigenous youth suicide and to formulate preventive strategies. The Forum reiterates its call on UNICEF and WHO to convene a meeting on youth suicide.
66. Notwithstanding the absence of birth registration for indigenous children and adolescents, the allocation of funds for their health and other social benefits should not be affected. Moreover, since the lack of civil documentation exposes indigenous peoples to abuse and violation of their rights, the Permanent Forum recommends that States, UNICEF, the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) support free and universal civil registration on the basis of free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples.

70. The Permanent Forum recognizes that the role of boarding schools for indigenous children has attracted considerable international attention. In some countries, boarding schools have had a very negative, even tragic, impact on the families, cultures and identities of indigenous peoples. At the same time, in some regions of the world, boarding schools are considered an important step for the successful social integration and education of indigenous children into mainstream society. The situation is complex. The Permanent Forum therefore recommends that an expert member conduct an in-depth comprehensive and comparative case study on this subject, with a focus on best practices. Furthermore, where negative impacts have occurred, the Permanent Forum supports the call of indigenous peoples for formal apologies from the States concerned.

84. The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences for their presence and statements during the sixth session, and to the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children for the statement she transmitted.

105. The Permanent Forum calls on the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children to hold regional consultations with indigenous women in Asia, and requests that UNIFEM support such consultations.

111. The Permanent Forum requests that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people undertake a study on the rights of urban indigenous peoples and migration, paying particular attention to their ability to exercise and enjoy their economic and social rights, and that the study be considered at the eighth session of the Permanent Forum. The themes that could be considered in the study include cultural identity, equitable access to essential services, the challenges facing indigenous youth and border issues.

113. Considering the family separations caused by migration, and the psychological impact on men, children and women left behind, the Permanent Forum recommends that UNICEF:
     1. Conduct a comprehensive study on the effects of remittances and the psychosocial and cultural impact of migrations;
     2. Promote programmes to ensure continuity between countries of origin and destination in order to ensure continuity in indigenous children’s relationships with their migrant parents and the protection of migrant children;
     3. Support programmes for the protection of the rights of men, children and women left behind.
114. The Permanent Forum urges UNICEF and UNIFEM to include urban and migrant indigenous women and their children in their relevant studies on violence against women.

153. The Permanent Forum reiterates it calls on States to provide funds for indigenous youth for language training courses to enable their full and effective participation in United Nations meetings.
     154. The Permanent Forum intends to develop a working practice for its next session that will engage the Youth Caucus more actively in its work.

7. The Permanent Forum recommends that States, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other relevant organizations adopt targeted policies, programmes, projects and budgets designed to address the staggering prevalence of diabetes among indigenous peoples and put in place culturally appropriate health services, health education and awareness-raising initiatives to treat diabetes and prevent its rapid growth. Particular attention should be given to pregnant women, whose reproductive health is closely linked to the future risk of their children developing diabetes.

10. The Permanent Forum requests the submission of data from indigenous peoples and State agencies on the mortality rates and injuries among indigenous children placed in foster care, with special emphasis placed on deaths among infants and children with disabilities and special needs.

57. The Permanent Forum confirms its commitment to making indigenous children and youth an ongoing part of its work. In so doing, it acknowledges the efforts made by organizations representing indigenous peoples, United Nations bodies and States to address the urgent needs of indigenous children and youth, including in the areas of education, health, culture, extreme poverty, mortality, sexual exploitation, militarization, displacement, removal by missionaries, incarceration and labour, among others.
58. The Permanent Forum is deeply concerned that the problems and discrimination facing indigenous children and youth are not reflected in the Millennium Development Goals, and it urges States and United Nations organizations to develop culturally sensitive policies, programmes and projects that fully incorporate indigenous children and youth into achieving the Goals.
59. The Permanent Forum reiterates its call upon those States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child13 and to report on and speed up the implementation of the Permanent Forum’s recommendations made at its fourth session.
60. The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation to the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues to organize a workshop on policies and best practices in engaging indigenous youth and children on the prevention of suicide among them and to report to the Permanent Forum at its next session (2007).
61. The Permanent Forum urges United Nations organizations to speed up the implementation of the recommendations made by the Permanent Forum at its fourth session.
62. The Permanent Forum urges UNICEF as the United Nations central agency on children to speed up the implementation of recommendations made by the Permanent Forum at previous sessions that so far have not been addressed, including its recommendation to adopt a policy relating to indigenous youth and children.
63. The Permanent Forum reiterates its recommendation that UNICEF appoint a goodwill ambassador for indigenous children and youth to raise awareness of their precarious situation.
64. The Permanent Forum supports the declaration and recommendations made by indigenous children and adolescents during the Ibero-American Meeting on the Rights of Indigenous Children and Adolescents, held on 7 and 8 July 2005 in Madrid. The Forum welcomes such an initiative, which was organized by the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean jointly with indigenous peoples, and recommends that all States and United Nations organizations in that region take concrete actions to implement the issues proclaimed in the declaration.
65. The Permanent Forum welcomes the expansion of the consultative indigenous group established by UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean to other United Nations organizations in the region following the recommendation of the Inter- Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues and encourages the establishment of such consultative groups in other regions and at the country level.
66. The Permanent Forum urges United Nations organizations, non-governmental organizations, States and other supportive organizations to facilitate, support and fund local, regional and international youth activities and other upcoming training workshops and forums.

91. The Permanent Forum supports the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its current effort to draft a general comment on the status of indigenous children worldwide, supports the Committee’s effort to secure broad input from indigenous peoples and encourages wide dissemination of the final report to indigenous peoples, States and United Nations bodies and agencies.

5. Ongoing priorities and themes: follow-up to previous special themes: “Indigenous children and youth” (2003) and “Indigenous women” (2004)

(a) Indigenous children and youth

93. The Forum on Indigenous Issues is deeply concerned that particular problems and discrimination are faced by indigenous children and youth, including in the areas of education, health, culture, extreme poverty, mortality, sexual exploitation, militarization, displacement, incarceration, labour and others.
94. Recognizing and appreciating the progress made, but at the same time acknowledging that further work needs to be done, it is urged that recommendations by the Forum at its past sessions that are of particular relevance to children and youth be implemented immediately.
95. The Forum makes the recommendations set out below.

United Nations agencies

96. The Forum recommends that the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues organize a workshop on policies and best practices of engaging indigenous youth and children on prevention of suicide among them and report to the Forum at its next session (2006).
97. United Nations agencies should provide incentives and funding opportunities for indigenous youth organizations to initiate non-formal education activities targeting girls and women. Where initiatives already exist, they should develop replication strategies and scale up existing initiatives.
98. The Millennium Campaign should raise awareness about the Millennium Development Goals and indigenous peoples, providing space for indigenous youth to express their views and share experiences related to Millennium Development Goals issues, enable young indigenous people to interact with their national leaders, and facilitate networking between youth groups to crystallise new projects. The campaigns should include several elements including school-based outreach, national conferences, local workshops, media activities, including phone-in radio programmes and televised debates, essay and expression contests and service days.
99. The United Nations Children’s Fund should initiate country-specific situation analyses of indigenous youth and children through field offices in countries with indigenous communities and transmit such situation analyses to the Forum.

States

100. Youth employment poverty-reduction strategies of States and the intergovernmental system should especially focus on indigenous youth, women and men, who are among the most marginalized within the current economic system. Addressing the needs of indigenous youth will also help to achieve Millennium Development Goal 3 and address pressures and problems arising from mass rural-to-urban migration.
101. Governments should support training in sustainable consumption towards a sustainable lifestyle and follow up initiatives, including networks and small grants.
102. Special emphasis should be placed by States on the involvement of city and local government authorities in engaging and supporting young indigenous people to achieve the Millennium Development Goals at the local level. Priorities for local authorities should include the creation of local youth councils with the participation of indigenous youth in decision-making, the provision of meeting spaces for young people to gather and coordinate projects, develop youth leadership, support for youth artistic and cultural expression, promotion of sport for development and peace and access to information and communication technologies.

Indigenous peoples organizations

103. The Forum, recalling its recommendation at its second session3 regarding an art competition among indigenous children for a logo/visual identifier for the Forum, decides to renew for another year its call for the submission of artwork by indigenous children, and calls for as wide a dissemination of information on the competition as possible so that the artwork can be received in time for the Forum’s selection at the fifth session.
104. The Forum urges States and United Nations agencies to support the attendance and participation of indigenous youth at future sessions of the Permanent Forum.
105. The Forum urges the members of the advisory council for the Voluntary Fund for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People to allocate funds to indigenous youth-initiated projects and activities.

Education for indigenous peoples in custody or detention

16. Given the overrepresentation of indigenous youth and adults in detention, the Forum urges States to consider culturally relevant and appropriate education for indigenous peoples in detention centres

83. The Forum recommends that the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna facilitate the full and effective participation, including funding, of indigenous peoples, particularly women and youth, and the Forum in the work to implement these conventions, and involve them fully in policy formulation and in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of environmental programmes or projects.

103. Recalling the special theme of its second session, “Indigenous children and youth”, the Permanent Forum confirms its commitment to make indigenous children and youth an ongoing part of its work. In so doing, it acknowledges the efforts made by organizations representing indigenous peoples, United Nations bodies, especially the Committee on the Rights of the Child and States, to address the urgent needs of indigenous children and youth, and encourages partners of the Forum towards further collaboration regarding this crucial cross-cutting issue.

IV. Policy recommendations

7. As these global processes have serious negative implications for indigenous women at the national and local levels, laws, policies, budgets and programmes must be put in place at the international, regional/national, and local levels as well if they are to effectively address these problems. Some of the issues addressed by the panellists included:
   2. At the national level:
      1. The Forum recalls and reiterates:
         2. Paragraph 50 of the Declaration, which urged States to incorporate a gender perspective in all programmes of action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and to consider the burden of such discrimination, which falls particularly on indigenous women, African women, Asian women, women of African descent, women of Asian descent, women migrants and women from other disadvantaged groups, ensuring their access to the resources of production on an equal footing with men, as a means of promoting their participation in the economic and productive development of their communities;
            2. In response to the growing issues of domestic violence and violence against women and children in our communities, indigenous peoples are searching for our own solutions. Indigenous community organizations in many parts of the world have established programmes for men and boys to complement the work of women’s organizations. Such programmes, viewed as good practices, include indigenous men’s anti-violence projects; men’s groups and corporations to address domestic violence; youth programmes for boys, which promote cultural education and values; peer-counselling programmes, information campaigns and training programmes. These good practices need to be publicized and promoted. Above all, they need to be resourced;

Indigenous children and youth

4. As stated in its report on its first session,1 the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues decided to make indigenous children and youth a focal point of its work in the years to come. The Forum reconfirms its commitment to do so, and acknowledges the efforts made by organizations representing indigenous peoples, United Nations agencies and States in the past year to tackle the urgent needs of the young generation, including the decision of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to declare indigenous children as the subject for its theme day, to be held in September 2003.
5. Recognizing the progress made, and building on the recommendations made in its report on its first session, the Forum provides the following advice and recommendations:
   1. Encourages United Nations bodies whose activities have an impact on indigenous children and youth, including, but not limited to, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat, to report regularly to the Forum. The reports should contain detailed information on and assess the progress made within programmes directed at, affecting and relating to indigenous adolescents.
   2. Reiterates its recommendation that the United Nations Childrenís Fund (UNICEF), as the United Nations nodal agency on children:
      • Present a comprehensive report to the Forum on an annual basis, including budgetary allocations and an assessment of their impact, including details of all its initiatives undertaken in collaboration with other specialized bodies of the United Nations system relating to indigenous children and those undertaken at the international or regional levels, as well as country initiatives, where applicable;
      • Provide information from the multi-indicator cluster survey being globally undertaken by UNICEF, disaggregating data on the antenatal health, birth, registration, immunization and early childhood development of indigenous children.
6. the Rights of the Child in the high-level panel and dialogue on indigenous children and youth held during its second session, and expresses the hope that that will lead to enhanced monitoring and promotion of the rights of indigenous children at the national and international levels. The Forum recommends that the Chairman of the Committee inform the next meeting of the Chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies of the results of the high-level panel and dialogue. The Forum recommends that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights transmit the results of the discussion of the Committee to the Forum at its third session.
7. The Forum recommends that the Inter-Agency Support Group discuss how to promote the cross-cutting issue of children and youth.
8. The Forum notes that in order for it and the United Nations system to review the situation of indigenous children and youth, there is a need for country-specific situation analyses. Given UNICEFís unique and long experience and expertise in that area, the Forum invites UNICEF to initiate such situation analyses on indigenous children by field offices in countries with indigenous communities. The Forum also invites UNICEF to transmit such situation analyses to the Forum.
9. The Forum is deeply concerned that particular problems and discrimination are faced by indigenous children and youth, including in the areas of education, health, culture, extreme poverty, mortality, incarceration, labour and other relevant areas. The Forum notes the need for new indicators to be developed by the United Nations that will specifically target those problems, and in that regard invites UNICEF to develop such new indicators and share them with other entities of the United Nations system, especially UNESCO.
10. The Forum welcomes the new initiatives undertaken by UNICEF with regard to indigenous children, in particular the ongoing development of a digest on the indigenous child, as well as a number of case studies aimed at understanding development programming to fulfil the rights of indigenous children. The Forum requests UNICEF to make the digest and the results of those studies available to the Forum at its third session.
11. The Forum recommends that UNICEF, in cooperation with the ILO, UNESCO and UNHCR, report to the Forum at its fourth session on ways that the United Nations system can assist in capacity-building in that area.
12. The Forum welcomes the inclusion in the 2003 Ibero-American Summit of a focus on indigenous children, and recommends that UNICEF report to the Forum on the results of the Summit in that area, and to indicate how lessons can be learned and policy approaches improved concerning indigenous children in other parts of the world with indigenous peoples, specifically Asia and Africa.
13. The Forum urges UNICEF to develop its policy on and guidelines regarding indigenous peoples in time for the third session of the Forum.
14. The Forum recommends that UNICEF consider the appointment of a goodwill ambassador of indigenous children and youth to raise public awareness and that it urge all UNICEF ambassadors to pay attention to the specific problems of indigenous children and youth.
15. Aware of the massive exodus of indigenous youth to the alien environments of cities around the world and the discrimination, socio-economic hardships, weakened family networks and drug abuse, inter alia, affecting those youngsters and ìstreet childrenî, the Forum requests the World Bank, the ILO and UNICEF to conduct an in-depth comparative study of legal frameworks and social programmes addressing indigenous urban youth in selected countries. The study should assess key problems and best practices and should provide recommendations for the formulation of policies and strategies for future action.
16. The Forum recommends that the United Nations system, in particular UNICEF and WHO, in collaboration with Governments and in consultation with indigenous peoplesí organizations, and with the participation and input from the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, address issues related to the trafficking and sexual exploitation of indigenous girls, and urges States to create programmes of rehabilitation.
17. The Forum invites the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, within the purview of his mandate, to pay special attention to and make recommendations concerning the rights of indigenous children.
18. In order to promote further knowledge of the Forum and the role of the United Nations among indigenous children and youth, the Forum decides to organize an indigenous youth art competition for the design of a logo for the Forum and to present the results to the Forum at its fourth session, in 2005, with the highest participation of indigenous children, including illiterate children.
19. The Forum, taking into account the large number of incarcerated indigenous children and youth and the need to assist them in reintegrating into society as soon as possible through socio-educational measures, recommends that the Economic and Social Council urge Governments to ensure greater protection and humane treatment of those children and youth while in prison and youth detention centres, and to provide them with socio-educational measures for their rehabilitation.
20. The Forum, taking into account that indigenous children, youth and women are more vulnerable and are often physically and psychologically mistreated, and that children represent the future of indigenous peoples, recommends that the Council support the declaration of an international day or an international year of the indigenous child, to be celebrated with awareness-raising activities to honour the cultural identity of indigenous peoples.
21. The Forum recommends that UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, the ILO, UNIFEM, UNDP, UNFPA and other United Nations bodies, in collaboration with Governments and in close coordination with indigenous peoples, prepare a Latin American conference of indigenous children and youth in 2004, taking into account the experience of the Subregional Conference of Indigenous Youth and Children, held in Quito in 2001.
22. The Forum recommends that both States and indigenous peoplesí organizations consider the inclusion of youth representatives in their delegations attending the annual session of the Forum.
23. The Forum recommends that in staffing the secretariat of the Forum, due consideration be given to qualified indigenous youth applicants.
24. The Forum recommends that the Committee on the Rights of the Child, at its special discussion day on the indigenous child, to be held on 19 September 2003, in addition to considering reports from States parties, pay special attention to issues related to safeguarding the integrity of indigenous families.
25. The Forum, deeply concerned about the harmful and widespread impact of armed conflict on indigenous children, recommends that the Committee on the Rights of the Child make recommendations on the situation of the human rights of indigenous children involved in armed conflict, taking into account the principles and norms contained in the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Other specific issues

79. The Forum recommends that the United Nations agencies supporting and promoting the Healthy Environments for Children Alliance, namely WHO, UNICEF, UNEP and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT), include a particular focus on indigenous children and youth.

82. The Forum recommends that WHO, in conjunction with indigenous health providers, undertake a study on the prevalence and causes of suicide among indigenous youth, and efforts being undertaken, including culturally based approaches, to address suicide prevention and the promotion of mental health and wellness.

91. Following the results of the discussion under the special theme ìIndigenous children and youthî and in the light of article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Forum recommends that the Committee on the Rights of the Child request States parties to the Convention to include in their reports information pertaining to the situation of indigenous children under all relevant provisions of the Convention.

99. The Forum recommends that Governments and the United Nations system, through its country presences, support indigenous media and promote the engagement of indigenous youth in indigenous programmes.

108. The Forum recalls its mandate to “prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues” and invites indigenous peoplesí organizations to consider creative ways of educating and disseminating information on the Forum to indigenous peoplesí organizations and communities, including through art, workshops, radio programmes, posters, indigenous journalism and other culturally appropriate media. To that end, the Forum recommends that the programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations system allocate appropriate resources for this purpose, assist in the production of such materials, include indigenous professionals in the production of such materials and report to the Forum at its third session on the extent to which they have been able to incorporate these actions into their programmes of work. The Forum also recommends that the United Nations Development Fund for Women allocate funding for capacity-building in connection with the Forum and for special outreach to indigenous women. The Forum furthermore recommends that the United Nations Childrenís Fund allocate funding for capacity-building in connection with the Forum and for special outreach to indigenous children and youth.

7. Children and youth

31. The Forum intends to make indigenous children and youth a focal point of its work in the years to come. The Forum decides to:
    1. Request that UNICEF, as the nodal agency of children, prepare a report on the policies, guidelines and programmes of United Nations agencies (including but not limited to WHO, UNAIDS, UNESCO, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, FAO, the ILO and UNDP) with regard to the ways in which they address the specific needs of indigenous children;
    2. Request that UNICEF provide information from the multi-indicator cluster survey, disaggregating data on the antenatal health, birth, registration, immunization and early childhood development of indigenous children;
    3. Request that the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other monitoring bodies, including special rapporteurs and representatives of the United Nations system that have both specific mandates and implications for the rights and issues of children, pay special attention to and report on how they address the needs of indigenous children;
    4. Recommend the appointment of a special rapporteur on indigenous children, as an external expert, for a period of three years to prepare reports for the Forum to analyse and assess the situation of indigenous children from a holistic perspective and to evaluate the current policies, guidelines and programmes of relevant United Nations agencies which address their needs. A final in-depth report would be submitted to the Forum at the end of his/her term;
    5. Call upon the Committee on the Rights of the Child to declare indigenous children as the subject for its theme day in September 2004.