Delegations from Yamal, Kamchatka, Ugra, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Yakutia, Karelia and Murmansk Region took part in the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Among the topics covered are the modernization of traditional economic activities, the involvement and support of indigenous youth, participation in decision-making through Councils of Representatives and other advisory bodies.
In addition, the speakers discussed the need to develop corporate policies and business standards in the territories inhabited by indigenous peoples. Russian delegates noted Nornickel's practices in developing policies in the field of interaction with indigenous peoples when developing a lithium deposit in the Murmansk region. Russian experts Alexey Tsykarev and Antonina Gorbunova took part in a World Bank event dedicated to the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), taking into account regional specifics.
The presentations also addressed the need for members of the Permanent Forum to proactively inform and consult with indigenous communities before publishing their research, in order, among other things, to avoid factual errors and interpretations that indigenous peoples may not support. Deputy Chairperson of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Antonina Gorbunova, called on UN mandates to jointly continue to develop practical guidelines to assess the effectiveness of the Action Plan of the International Decade for Indigenous Languages.
The head of the Association of Indigenous Minorities of Kamchatka, Andrei Metelitsa, expressed concern that the indigenous communities of Russia are poorly informed about the process of expanding participation and are not represented in it by their legitimate representatives. At a meeting with Belkacem Lounes, Advisor to the President of the UN General Assembly on the issue of expanding the participation of indigenous peoples in the work of the UN system, the parties discussed the current situation and possible joint further steps.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
