OHCHR seeks applications to attend the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Fund for Indigenous Populations was created in 1985 to encourage and help representatives of indigenous communities and organizations for participation in the meetings and discussions of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the former Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. The General Assembly on 19 December 2001 decided that the Fund should also be used to help representatives of indigenous communities in attending the sessions of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Fund is administered by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

OHCHR has issued a call for submission of applications to attend to attend the 11th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and 5th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2012 under the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations.

Selection Criteria
According to General Assembly resolution 40/131, the only beneficiaries of assistance from the Fund shall be representatives of indigenous populations’ organizations and communities:
•        who are so considered by the Board of Trustees;
•        who would not, in the opinion of the Board, be able to attend meetings without the assistance provided by the Fund;
•        who would be able to contribute to a deeper knowledge on these mechanisms and bodies of the problems affecting indigenous populations and who would secure a broad geographical representation.

In addition, the Secretary-General approved the following criteria upon recommendation by the Board:
•        A travel grant approved by the Secretariat is given on an individual basis. An organization or beneficiary cannot request that a beneficiary be replaced by another one, except under exceptional circumstances, time permitting and upon approval by the Secretariat;
•        The representatives and the organizations applying for a grant should be indigenous;
•        The Board only considers a maximum of 2 applicants per organization;
•        The Board selects both, representatives who have never participated in a session of a Permanent Forum or Expert Mechanism and representatives who already participated and could develop specialized capacity and strengthen the core group of participants in Permanent Forum or Expert Mechanism;
•        The Board encourages indigenous organizations and communities to consider gender balance and, if possible, propose one woman and one man;
•        The Board encourages indigenous organizations and communities to consider nominating young persons;
•        Applicants are requested to indicate their responsibility in their organization or community;
•        The Board confirmed its practice according to which it will give priority to applicants living in their own community and country vis a vis applicants living abroad.

Additional Criteria for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues:
In accordance with ECOSOC resolution 2000/22 “…non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Council may participate as observers; organizations of indigenous people may equally participate as observers in accordance with the procedures which have been applied in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protections of Human Rights”.

According to the ECOSOC resolution 2000/22, the Permanent Forum has a mandate to discuss indigenous issues within the mandate of the Council relating to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. Applicants must therefore refer in their statements to these issues.

Deadline for the submission of applications November 1, 2011

For more information and details, you can visit this link.