United Nations
E/C.19/2006/6/Add.12
Economic and Social Council
Distr.: General
Original: English
06-27923 (E) 100406
Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues
Fifth session
Item 3 of the provisional agenda*
Special theme: the Millennium Development
Goals
and indigenous peoples: redefining
goals
Information received from the United Nations
system**
United Nations
Development Fund for Women
United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
Summary
Since 1994,
the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
has
been
developing projects and programmes that respond to the need to
incorporate
indigenous
issues to the forefront of its agenda. Integrating indigenous
women’s
rights is
fundamental to UNIFEM, and it seeks to more fully develop and expand
its
existing
projects while eliciting the cooperation and support of other United
Nations
agencies.
The UNIFEM
programme focuses on advocacy for indigenous women’s
rights
and
eliminating discrimination. Its approach rests on mainstreaming gender
and
women’s human
rights in its programme by engaging indigenous groups,
particularly
women, boys
and girls, and enhancing civic engagement through
strategic
partnerships
between associations and advocacy groups.
Mainstreaming
gender within the larger context of indigenous rights is at
the
core of the
UNIFEM project implementation strategy, and UNIFEM recognizes
that
incorporation
of indigenous women’s issues and distinct interests is an
ongoing
process which
it seeks to support.
* E/C.19/2006/1.
** The present document was submitted late in order to
ensure the inclusion of the most recent
information.
06-27923(e) 100406
*0627923*
E/C.19/2006/6/Add.12
A. Response to
recommendation addressed exclusively to the
particular
agency
Recommendation 119
1. Within the framework of inter-agency work in
with the cooperation of the Economic Commission for
Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA),
the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations
High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for
Migration and the Pan-
American Health Organization, held a regional meeting of
indigenous women and
United Nations system organizations in
support group for indigenous peoples was established.
Jointly with academic
research institutions and civil society organizations,
UNIFEM developed a followup
strategy with indigenous women’s organizations in
Central America and
to promote respect for indigenous women’s rights. The
proposal has been developed
within the inter-agency framework and is part of the
Fund’s participation in the
Inter-Agency Support Group for the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues.
UNIFEM has been part of the creation of a working group
in
contribute the indigenous women’s perspective to the
common country
assessment/United Nations Development Assistance
Framework process (UNFPA,
ECLAC and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human
Rights).
2. In the framework of the inter-agency work in
memorandum of understanding between UNHCR and UNFPA,
supports displaced
indigenous women near the northern border of
reproductive health, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS.
In addition, UNIFEM
supported a national survey that included violence
against women with an ethnic
perspective and has been participating in the
inter-agency multicultural thematic
group, ensuring that gender mainstreaming is included,
and particular attention has
been given to the preparations for the Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues.
3. UNIFEM is an active member of the task force on
indigenous women of the
Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality and
contributed to the task
force’s publication entitled “Indigenous Women and the
United Nations System:
Good Practices and Lessons Learned” by providing two
cases on its work with
indigenous women in
Recommendation 120
4. UNIFEM has been in close consultation with indigenous
women’s
organizations involved in the first-world fair of
indigenous women art makers, to be
held in
of indigenous women in this Fair.
E/C.19/2006/6/Add.12
B. Response to
recommendations addressed to one or more
agencies or to the
United Nations system in general under
one or more items of
the Permanent Forum’s mandate
5. UNIFEM strengthened its partnership with indigenous
women and leaders of
Latin America and the
subregional meetings to identify priorities and make
recommendations for agency
support. UNIFEM has organized an inter-agency dialogue
to listen to the demands
and priorities of indigenous women, which led to the
development of a three-year
regional programme for
resources from United Nations agencies to support said
programme.
6. UNIFEM has stressed the agenda of indigenous women in
two projects in the
Central American region, especially related to the
economic rights and political
participation of indigenous women in
7. Indigenous women’s issues were incorporated into the
sixth annual
international meeting on gender statistics in
UNIFEM, the Mexican National Women’s Machinery and the
National Statistics
Office. Representatives from 14 countries attended this
meeting, which addressed
the need for special indicators for indigenous groups.
As a result, a working group
on gender statistics for indigenous populations was set
up to follow up the meeting.
In
indigenous and ethnic issues in the production of
statistics.
8. Regarding the work with indigenous women’s
organizations and participation,
the UNIFEM office and the Andean region have supported a
consultation with
indigenous women in the five Andean countries on their
priorities on political
participation to construct an indigenous women’s agenda
to be launched in
The UNIFEM Southern Cone office supported the Paraguayan
national indigenous
women’s network to organize the second national meeting
of indigenous women and
to contribute to the strengthening of CONAMURI, the
Paraguayan indigenous
women’s group. Finally, UNIFEM supported indigenous
women’s networks and
advocacy for the follow-up to the Fourth World
Conference on Women, which
contributed to the approval of a resolution sponsored by
women’s
rights.