International Decade of the World's Indigenous People : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly.

International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

Emphasizes the importance of strengthening the human and institutional capacity of indigenous people to develop their own solutions to their problems, recommends once again, for these purposes, that the UN University consider the possibility of sponsoring, in each region, one or more existing institutions of higher education as centres of excellence and the diffusion of expertise, inter alia, by conducting relevant studies, and invites the Commission on Human Rights to recommend appropriate means of implementation; decides to appoint the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as coordinator for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People; encourages Governments to support the Decade by: (a) preparing relevant programmes, plans and reports in relation to the Decade; (b) seeking means, in consultation with indigenous people, of giving indigenous people greater responsibility for their own affairs and an effective voice in decisions on matters that affect them; (c) contributing to the UN Trust Fund for the International Decade for the World's Indigenous People; (d) contributing to the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations in order to assist indigenous representatives in participating in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights charged with elaborating a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people; (f) considering contributing to the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean; recommends that the Secretary-General ensure coordinated follow-up to the recommendations concerning indigenous people of relevant world conferences.

Adopted without vote, 70th meeting

4 p.

Adopted at the 70th plenary meeting, 12 Dec. 1997.