United Nations - Indigenous Peoples DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Provisional Agenda

1. Election of officers.
2. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.
3. Discussion on the special theme for the year, “Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity: articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”.
4. Human rights:
(a) Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
(b) Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people and other special rapporteurs.
5. Half-day discussion on North America.
6. Comprehensive dialogue with six United Nations agencies and funds.
7. Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues of the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues.8. Draft agenda for the tenth session of the Permanent Forum.
9. Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its ninth session.

Side Events

Schedule of Side Events

Guidelines for organizers of side events

Statements made at the Ninth Session compiled by doCip

Click here.

Press Release and Fact Sheets

Press Conference on Ninth Session of Indigenous Forum (opening day)

Press Conference on World Bank Study on Indigenous People

Press Conference by Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (closing day)

HR/5011 – Background Release

HR/5012 – 1st & 2nd Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5013

HR/5014 – 3rd & 4th Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5015 – 5th Meeting (PM)

HR/5016 – 6th & 7th Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5017 – 8th Meeting (AM)

HR/5018 – 9th & 10th Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5019 – 11th Meeting (AM)

HR/5020 – 12th & 13th Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5021 – 14th & 15th Meetings (AM & PM)

HR/5022 – 16th & 17th Meetings (AM & PM)

Note No. 6256 – Note to Correspondents

Opening Press Release EN

Fact Sheet: Development with Culture and Identity EN | ES | FR

Fact Sheet: Half-Day Discussion on Forests EN | ES | FR

Fact Sheet: Half-Day Discussion on North America EN | ES | FR

Fact Sheet: Studies for Ninth Session EN | ES | FR

Interview with Armand MacKenzie on UN Radio FR

Interview with James Cameron on UN Radio EN

Submitted by the Secretariat of UNPFII

From Governments

Information received from Botswana AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from the People’s Republic of China AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Ecuador AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Germany AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Venezuela AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Namibia AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Finland AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Guatemala AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Spain AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Colombia AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Norway AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Governments: Cambodia AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Governments: Burkina Faso AR | EN | ES | FR | RU |ZH

Information received from Governments: Paraguay AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Governments: Mexico AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Governments: Bolivia AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Information received from Governments: Denmark AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

From the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations

Submitted by NGOs

Logistical Information
Please click here for information regarding accommodation and transportation in New York City.

Travel and Visa Information
Arrangements for travel, including visa procedures, accommodation and transportation are the responsibility of NGOs and IPOs and other interested organizations. Representatives of participating organizations must deal directly with United States consulates in their countries of residence regarding visa issues. The United Nations will send a confirmation letter to NGO and IPO representatives once they have been pre-registered. This confirmation letter may be used by NGO and IPO representatives to request a visa from American authorities.

Funding
The only UN source of funding for travel to participate in the sessions of the Permanent Forum is the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations, which is managed by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Please note that applications close in October of the year preceding the Permanent Forum’s Session. Please click here for more details.

Our organization is interested in attending the next session of the Permanent Forum. Can we participate?
Participation in the sessions of the Permanent Forum is open to NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC, indigenous peoples’ organizations and academic institutions. All participants need to pre-register for the sessions of the Permanent Forum. The sessions of the Permanent Forum tend to take place in April or May each year. Online pre-registration tends to begin in January or February on the website of the Permanent Forum. Pre-registration closes about 2-4 weeks before the session starts.

Our organization attended the other sessions of the Forum. Do we still need to pre-register?
Yes. All accredited organizations interested in attending the next session of the Forum are invited to pre-register. In addition, all representatives of accredited organizations are requested to register at their arrival at the United Nations before attending the session.

My organization enjoys consultative status with ECOSOC, but we have not received an invitation to attend sessions of the Permanent forum. How can we pre-register?
All interested NGOs in consultative status should use the online pre-registration system to apply to attend the session.

Can representatives of NGOs and IPOs attend sessions of the Permanent Forum without pre-registration?
We do not encourage attendance of sessions of the Permanent Forum without pre-registration. All participants, including those from organizations enjoying consultative status with ECOSOC and holding annual ground-passes, are strongly encouraged to pre-register and register at the site of sessions of the Permanent Forum. The United Nations Secretariat will not be in a position to register participants who did not pre-register before the opening of the session.

Can my organization make a statement at the Permanent Forum session?
During previous sessions the Permanent Forum, representatives of NGOs and indigenous peoples organizations have made presentations. Most of the organizations that have addressed the Forum do not enjoy consultative status. In other words, all participants registered to attend the session may make oral presentations, depending on availability of time.

Will the United Nations help me with my visa to New York?
Arrangements for travel, including visa procedures, accommodation and transportation are the responsibility of NGOs and IPOs and other interested organizations. Representatives of participating organizations need to deal directly with United States embassies/consulates in their countries of residence regarding visa issues. The United Nations will send a confirmation letter to NGO and IPO representatives once they have been pre-registered. This confirmation letter may be used by NGO and IPO representatives to request a visa from United States authorities. If necessary, the Division for Social Policy and Development will assist in providing information regarding the status of NGOs and IPOs at the request of American authorities. However, the United Nations does not send unsolicited correspondence to United States embassies/consulates to validate a request made by an NGO or IPO representative to obtain a visa.

Does the United Nations provide funding for NGOs to attend the Forum?
The only UN source of funding for travel to participate in the sessions of the Permanent Forum is the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. Please note that applications close in October of the year preceding the Permanent Forum’s Session.

Can my organization make a statement at the Permanent Forum session?
During previous sessions the Permanent Forum, representatives of NGOs and organizations of indigenous populations have made presentations. Most of the organizations that addressed the Forum do not enjoy consultative status. In other words, all participants registered to attend the session may make oral presentations, depending on availability of time.

Can I submit a written statement or report to the Permanent Forum?
Indigenous organizations and NGOs have occasionally submitted reports to the Permanent Forum in the past. If your organization is interested in doing so, then you are advised to contact the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum and discuss the possibility of submitting such a report. The deadline for these reports/statements is 31 January of each year.

For further information about submitting reports, see the below excerpt form ECOSOC resolution 1996/31.

36. Written statements relevant to the work of the commissions or other subsidiary organs may be submitted by organizations in general consultative status and special consultative status on subjects for which these organizations have a special competence. Such statements shall be circulated by the Secretary-General to members of the commission or other subsidiary organs, except those statements that have become obsolete, for example, those dealing with matters already disposed of and those that have already been circulated in some other form to members of the commission or other subsidiary organs.

37. The following conditions shall be observed regarding the submission and circulation of such written statements:
(a) The written statement shall be submitted in one of the official languages;
(b) It shall be submitted in sufficient time for appropriate consultation to take place between the Secretary-General and the organization before circulation;
(c) The organization shall give due consideration to any comments that the Secretary-General may make in the course of such consultation before transmitting the statement in final form;
(d) A written statement submitted by an organization in general consultative status will be circulated in full if it does not exceed 2,000 words. Where a statement is in excess of 2,000 words, the organization shall submit a summary, which will be circulated, or shall supply sufficient copies of the full text in the working languages for distribution. A statement will also be circulated in full, however, upon the specific request of the commission or other subsidiary organs;
(e) A written statement submitted by an organization in special consultative status will be circulated in full if it does not exceed 1,500 words. Where a statement is in excess of 1,500 words, the organization shall submit a summary, which will be circulated, or shall supply sufficient copies of the full text in the working languages for distribution. A statement will also be circulated in full, however, upon the specific request of the commission or other subsidiary organs;
(f) The Secretary-General, in consultation with the chairman of the relevant commission or other subsidiary organ, or the commission or other subsidiary organ itself, may invite organizations on the Roster to submit written statements. The provisions in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c) and (e) above shall apply to such statements;
(g) A written statement or summary, as the case may be, will be circulated by the Secretary-General in the working languages and, upon the request of a member of the commission or other subsidiary organ, in any of the official languages.