United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) In July 2000, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples (through ECOSOC resolution 2000/22) with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues relating to economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights. The Forum was asked to provide expert advice and recommendations to the Council and, through the Council, to the programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations. Other tasks of the Forum are to raise awareness, to promote the integration and coordination of activities relating to indigenous issues within the UN system, and to prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In 1982, the Sub-commission of the Commission on Human Rights established a working group on indigenous populations, which reviews developments pertaining to the rights of indigenous peoples and promotes international standards concerning their rights.
In 1995, the Commission on Human Rights established an open-ended inter-sessional working group to work on the elaboration of a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. In 2001, the Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. Main duties of the Special Rapporteur are to gather, request, receive and exchange information and communications from all relevant sources, including Governments, indigenous peoples themselves and their communities and organizations, on violations of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity. Conceived as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and their need for food security, medicine, fresh air, water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live.
In this context, the CBD has recognized the close and traditional dependence of many indigenous and local communities on biological resources. There is also a broad recognition of the contribution that traditional knowledge can make to both the conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity, two fundamental objectives of the Convention. Therefore, the Conference of the Parties has established a special working group to address the implementation of Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention, which deal with traditional knowledge. This working group is open to all Parties and indigenous and local communities representatives play a full and active role in its work.
International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) was formed During the III Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP III) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November 1996. The IIFB is a collection of representatives from indigenous governments, indigenous non-governmental organizations and indigenous scholars and activists that organize around the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other important international environmental meetings to help coordinate indigenous strategies at these meetings, provide advice to the government parties, and to influence the interpretations of government obligations to recognize and respect indigenous rights to their knowledge and resources.
UNEP's Indigenous Knowledge Website
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment.
International Labour Organization (ILO) The ILO has been working with indigenous and tribal peoples since the 1920s. It is responsible for the only international instrument currently in force (ILO Convention 107 and ILO Convention 169) that deal exclusively with the rights of indigenous peoples. ILO’s work in the field of indigenous and tribal people falls mainly into two categories. On the one hand, it seeks to promote the adoption and supervision of standards and provisions of the ILO Convention, and on the other hand, it provides assistance to indigenous and tribal peoples as well as to states in the implementation of the conventions.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Working in co-operation with other international organizations and in dialogue with NGOs, WIPO provides a forum for international policy debate concerning the interplay between intellectual property (IP), traditional knowledge, genetic resources and traditional cultural expressions (folklore). It is developing draft legal mechanisms and a range of practical tools aimed at enhancing the IP interests of the holders of such knowledge, resources and expressions.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Culture being one of the central pillars of its programme of work, UNESCO has a long record of engaging indigenous peoples in their programme of work.
UNESCO launched a project on Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) with the main goal to build dialogue amongst traditional knowledge holders, natural and social scientists, resource managers and decision-makers in order to enhance biodiversity conservation and to secure an active and equitable role for local communities in resource governance.
World Bank (WB) For many years, the World Bank has been working with indigenous peoples. Throughout the years, the World Bank has gathered considerable experience and has established an extensive programme for partnering with Indigenous Peoples. Recently, a new and revised policy for indigenous peoples was presented.
Accredited Indigenous Peoples Organizations to UNEP:
