Coalition Statement | Item 6: Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues considered by the Economic and Social Council, the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and emerging issues
April 29th, 2026
Joint Statement from the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including:
Cheryl Knockwood; Grand Chief Edward John (Former Expert Member and Chair of UNPFII North America Region – Indigenous Representative); Hup-Wil-Lax-A, Kirby Muldoe; Lea Nicholas-MacKenzie; International Chief Wilton Littlechild (Former UNPFII Member);
Amnistie internationale Canada francophone; British Columbia Assembly of First Nations; British Columbia Treaty Commission; Canadian Friends Service Committee; First Nations Summit; Indigenous World Association; Tl’azt’en Dakleh Nation; Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
We are pleased to present the following Joint Statement on behalf of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canada which brings together a number of Indigenous Nations and organizations, as well as civil society partners in Canada.
In respect to agenda item 6, the Permanent Forum’s future work, our Nations and organizations would like to reinforce the important work of defending and properly supporting the distinct and complementary mandates of each of the three Indigenous Peoples’ mechanisms. We are eager to work closely with the members of the UNPFII, the EMRIP, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to ensure their mandates are protected. We are especially concerned about existing and potential future cuts as a result of the UN80 initiative. We urge all States to immediately increase financial contributions to the United Nations.
The mechanisms’ complementarity is absolutely essential. These mechanisms hold clear, distinct and important mandates that support each other but are not duplicative. Two of the mechanisms are connected to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and the PFII focuses on social and economic Issues in New York. Their common purpose is the advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ human rights and development throughout the United Nations, but they utilize distinct mandates, methods and tools.
The Special Rapporteur protects Indigenous Peoples’ human rights. This mechanism reports on the human rights experience of Indigenous Peoples and addresses specific cases of human rights violations. The Special Rapporteur also convenes the other mechanisms to provide input based on this work.
The Expert Mechanism interprets international human rights law as it relates to Indigenous Peoples and can be understood as analogous to a treaty body for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Its mandate has two core components: it undertakes research-based studies and reports that interpret and clarify the Declaration, and it provides technical advice to states on its implementation at the country level. It has a mandate to advise the Human Rights Council as well as Indigenous Peoples and States.
The Permanent Forum promotes and coordinates advancement of the human rights of Indigenous Peoples across the United Nations system. It ensures broad coordination and regular exchange of information among interested parties, on an ongoing basis across the UN system, as an advisory body to ECOSOC. Their broader focus on Indigenous issues allows them to promote and advise on a number of wide-ranging concerns. These concerns include recognition of the history, context, and human rights of Indigenous Peoples as peoples, and distinct from local communities. The word permanent plays an important role in the name of this mechanism. Permanence guarantees the presence of Indigenous Peoples in the UN system without the need for an annual resolution to renew the mandate.
These three mechanisms work together to advance Indigenous Peoples’ human rights and development through the United Nations. They are well positioned in different ways to bring forward solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. We know Indigenous Peoples remain among the most vulnerable globally and are often in the best position to advance the sustainable development goals. Threats to these independent and complimentary mandates weaken the ability of Indigenous Peoples to work with member states. At a time when cooperation between peoples is essential, the Permanent forum and all advocates for the multilateral system must work together to defend these three mechanisms. We urge all member States of the UN to join these efforts.