The UN expert body on indigenous issues has focused its latest discussions on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Africa.

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues convened from 15-26 May 2006, at UN headquarters in New York, with the theme “Millennium Development Goals and indigenous peoples: redefining the Goals.” Speakers focused on the Programme of Action of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, whose end in 2015 coincides with the year benchmarked for the achievement of the MDGs. The Forum noted the need for the inclusion of indigenous peoples in all evaluation and stricter monitoring processes on the progress towards the Goals, and strongly encouraged all States to provide disaggregated data on health and social welfare indicators, to understand where indigenous societies stand in the process. The Forum also urged States and UN agencies to develop culturally-sensitive policies, programmes and projects that fully incorporated indigenous children and youth in achieving the MDGs. Following its half-day discussion on Africa and the concern for Africa’s indigenous groups, the Forum called for two regional conferences in Africa to enhance indigenous organizations’ capacity to engage in dialogue with governments at the country level to promote understanding of indigenous issues, including through designing regional strategies to achieve the MDGs. In anticipation of the first session of the new United Nations Human Rights Council, the Permanent Forum also recommended that indigenous issues be a standing agenda item of the Council, and due attention be paid to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. The Forum proposed to schedule its sixth session from 14-25 May 2007, in Bangkok, Thailand; and a three-day expert group meeting on the Convention on Biological Diversity from 17-19 June 2007, at UN headquarters in New York.
Links to further information
UN press releases (May 2006):
26 May 2006
16 May 2006
17 May 2006
18 May 2006
19 May 2006