The 23rd session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) concluded on Friday, April 26, in New York. The event focused on advancing Indigenous peoples’ rights to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health, and human rights.
The gathering also promoted dialogue across seven socio-cultural regions, namely: Asia; the Pacific; the Arctic; Africa; North America; Central and South America and the Caribbean; and, Central and Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Significantly, the Forum does not define areas such as the Mediterranean, and particularly Western Europe or the Middle East, among its regions.
In addition, the Forum included a thematic dialogue, focusing on financing for Indigenous peoples in development, climate, the environment, and biological diversity. This dialogue called for changes to Indigenous people’s access to finance, emphasizing resources be directed to Indigenous-led organizations in support of Indigenous peoples, and not channeled through intermediaries.
Other achievements of the Forum included recommendations related to the mandate areas and 2024 theme of youth. Moreover, the Forum authorized an international expert group meeting on Indigenous rights in critical mineral extraction. For all of its efforts on engagement, however, the Forum was noteworthy for the silence around China and its autochthonous minorities.
The next session of UNPFII is scheduled to take place at UN Headquarters in New York from April 21 to May 2, 2025. The theme of the 24th Forum will be “Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within United Nations Member States and the United Nations system, including identifying good practices and addressing challenges”.