UN: General Assembly: Updated 2nd Revised Draft Text on Participation of Indigenous Peoples at UN

In 2017, HLPF will take place from 10-19 July at the UNHQ in New York under the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”.

The goals under review in 2017 are: Goal 1 (End poverty), Goal 2 (Zero-hunger), Goal three (Good Health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and Goal 14 (Life below Water), as well as every year Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Further, 44 countries are undergoing Voluntary National Reviews, including many countries with indigenous peoples. See the full list of countries here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf

A delegation of around 20 indigenous representatives is expected to attend the HLPF and provide inputs to the discussion from the perspective of indigenous peoples.

Various side-events related to indigenous peoples’ rights and the 2030 Agenda will be organised and an Indigenous Media Zone will cover the first day of the high level/ministerial segment of the HLPF on 17 July. Updates on these events will be shared on this page as well as through social media for people following HLPF outside the United Nations.

UNPFII’s substantive inputs to HLPF 2017

As a subsidiary body to the Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues provided substantive inputs to the thematic reviews of the High Level Political Forum 2017, highlighting what is needed to ensure that indigenous peoples are not left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The substantive inputs can be found in all UN languages here.

The substantive inputs are also available on the Sustainable Development Online Review platform here.

On the main page of the HLPF (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf), the different progress reports and synthesis reports informing the HLPF 2017 are available.

The “Synthesis of voluntary submissions by functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council and other intergovernmental bodies and forums” makes several points related to indigenous peoples, including the importance of reviewing legislation from the perspective of human rights of indigenous peoples and of ensuring effective engagement of indigenous peoples’ as active stakeholders in implementation, follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. The report also draws attention to the special situation of indigenous women, the customary rights and laws of indigenous peoples and local communities to access, use, govern and manage lands and natural resources and the negative effect of business enterprises that have adverse impacts on indigenous peoples.

The UNPFII substantive inputs were submitted to the President of ECOSOC on the 28 April 2017. Unfortunately, the substantive inputs were not integrated in the synthesis report, but they can be read in their entirety through the online review platform (see link above).

Read more about Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda HERE