The engagement with the Métis Nation is part of pre-session planning of the agenda for the 16th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which involves all UN member states and is scheduled to take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York (April 24-May 5, 2017).
The Permanent Forum is a high-level advisory body to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It has the mandate to tackle Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The member states of the Permanent Forum meet annually in New York for a two-week period with an agenda that covers a wide scope of Indigenous issues.
Prior to each full session, a member state agrees to host a pre-session planning meeting. The pre-session involves the participation of the 16 members who oversee the Permanent Forum and its secretariat. Last year, Canada offered to host this 2017 pre-session.