The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. The Forum was established on 28 July 2000 and the first session was held in May 2002 at the UN headquarters in New York and has since held 10-day sessions each year.
UMPFII’s task is to be an expert council and make recommendations on indigenous issues to programs, funds and UN bodies. The Forum works to raise awareness and promote integration and coordination of activities related to indigenous issues within the UN system. It also works to promote respect for and full application of the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and monitors the effectiveness of Declaration Art. 42 SUBSCRIBE.
Six mandate areas
In addition to the six mandate areas – economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights – each session is thematically focused on a specific issue and this year the theme is Indigenous Peoples, Human Health, Planetary and Territorial Health and Climate Change, a Rights-Based Approach . The Permanent Forum is one of three UN bodies mandated to address indigenous issues specifically. The others are the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Members
The Permanent Forum consists of 16 members, nominated both by governments and indigenous organizations. For the current term of office 2023-2025, Valentina Sovkina from Lujávri is the Sami representative in the council. The first Sami member of the permanent forum was Ole Henrik Magga, former president of the Sami Parliament in Norway, 2002-2004. Other members have been Lars Anders Baer, former chairman of the board of the Sami Parliament, 2008-2011 and lawyer Anne Nuorgam from Finland, 2017-2022, head of the Sami Council’s human rights department.
SVT Sápmi and Sameradion are on site with Anne-Marit Päiviö, reporter and Stefan Karlsson, photographer.
It is the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum and it runs until 28 April. The
