During the Advisory Group meeting in May 2006, regarding the Trust Fund for the Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, 136 project proposals were reviewed. Based on the Advisory Group’s recommendations 20 projects were selected to receive grants.

Most of the projects were awarded around 10,000 $ per project. Only two of the 20 projects were multi-year projects. Around 200,000 $ in total was allocated to projects benefiting indigenous peoples.

In selecting the projects, the Advisory Group carefully considered projects from the UN Permanent Forum’s seven diverse socio-cultural regions. Furthermore the Advisory Group considered whether the project could access other funding sources and whether the project was a capacity building opportunity for indigenous organizations. In order to provide as much support to indigenous peoples, the Advisory Group felt it was important to give priority to Indigenous Peoples Organizations as part of the empowerment process.

A total of 5 grants were awarded to African Indigenous Peoples Organizations, 7 grants to the Asian region, 5 grants were awarded to Central and South America and the Caribbean. Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus received 2 grants, and 1 was awarded to an organization in the Pacific region.

The Advisory Group gave priority to projects supporting the livelihood of indigenous women and youth and 6 projects were beneficial to these groups.

Some projects were beneficial for specific communities, while others supported indigenous peoples in general. Even though some projects were specific to a regional area, the experiences from the project could be a model for indigenous people world wide.

The selection of projects for funding was considered to be a success, based on their diversity of working areas and regions.