Bearing in mind that one of the purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, is the achievement of international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without discrimination as to race, sex, language or religion,

Recalling its resolution 45/164 of 18 December 1990, in which it proclaimed 1993 as the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, with a view to strengthening international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous communities in areas such as human rights, the environment, development, education and health,

Recognizing the value and the diversity of the cultures and the forms of social organization of the world's indigenous people,

Welcoming the report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, as well as resolution 1992/45 of 3 March 1992 regarding the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, adopted by the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-eighth session,

Noting the need to conclude the technical meeting provided for in paragraph 8 of General Assembly resolution 46/128 of 17 December 1991 in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 (b) of the same resolution,

1.Reaffirms that it proclaimed 1993 as the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, with the theme of "Indigenous people - a new partnership";

2.Calls upon the United Nations system and Governments that have not yet done so to develop policies in support of the objectives and the theme of the Year and to strengthen the institutional framework for their implementation;

3.Urges the Coordinator for the International Year of the World's Indigenous People to continue to solicit actively the cooperation of specialized agencies, regional commissions, financial and development institutions and other relevant organizations of the United Nations system for the promotion of the programme of activities contained in the annex to General Assembly resolution 46/128;

4.Requests the Coordinator to reconvene from within existing resources, in the three working days preceding the eleventh session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the technical meeting provided for in paragraph 8 of resolution 46/128, with a view to concluding its deliberations and finalizing its report;

5.Stresses that governmental and intergovernmental activities undertaken within the context of the Year and beyond should take fully into account the development needs of indigenous people and the need for making full use of the contributions that indigenous communities can bring to sustainable national development;

6.Notes that there is a continuing need to improve the availablity and the means of dissemination of socio-economic data relating to the development needs of indigenous people and that the Year should contribute to enhancing and to facilitating the coordination capabilities of Member States for collecting and analysing information in that area;

7.Appeals to Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as indigenous people's organizations, to contribute to the voluntary fund for the Year opened by the Secretary-General;

8.Recommends to the Secretary-General that he should give all assistance necessary to the Coordinator to permit him to carry out his tasks;

9.Recommends that the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights should continue to consider at its upcoming meeting how issues pertinent to the Year could be addressed within the framework of the Conference;

10.Stresses the relevance for the solution of problems faced by indigenous communities of the recommendations made in chapter 26 of Agenda 21, contained in the report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development;

11.Requests the Commission on Human Rights to ask the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, at its eleventh session, and the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, at its forty-fifth session, to complete their consideration of the draft universal declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples and to submit their report to the Commission at its fiftieth session;

12.Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session on the activities developed and the results achieved within the context of the Year.

85th plenary meeting
14 December 1992