2007 session of the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples

1. The 20th session of the Board of Trustees was held at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 26 February – 2 March 2007. All the members of the Board attended the session. The Board held 10 private meetings.

2. The Board considered:

(a) 288 admissible applications for travel grants (to cover travel costs and a daily stipend) for representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the 6th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) to be held in New York from 14 to 25 May 2007.

(b) 229 admissible applications for travel grants (to cover travel costs and a daily stipend) for representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the 25th session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) that may be held in Geneva in 2007.

3. After having examined the applications in the light of established criteria, the Board recommended:

(a) 67 grants for representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the PFII, for an estimated total amount of US$ 305,992.50.

(b) 60 grants for representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the WGIP, for an estimated total amount of US$ 172,461.00.

4. The Board decided to establish a contingency list of 8 additional possible beneficiaries to attend the PFII for an estimated amount of US$ 33,660 and 4 additional possible beneficiaries to attend the WGIP for an estimated total amount of US$ 12,964.

5. The Board held its annual meeting with donors on 1 March 2007 at the Palais des Nations. The meeting was attended by representatives of Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bolivia, China, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holy See, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, USA and the European Commission. The members expressed their gratitude for the donors' generous contributions, recommended a sustained effort and, if possible, an increase in their contributions.

6. The Board welcomed the adoption of the recommendation made by the Sub-Commission in its report to the Human Rights Council (Document A/HRC/Sub.1/58/L.11) on expanding the mandate of the Fund to include financial support to human rights projects and travel grants to support indigenous peoples’ participation in meetings of United Nations bodies other than the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in particular meetings of the Treaty Bodies.

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