The inaugural meeting of a new United Nations body, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues -- which will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday, 13 May, in Conference Room 2 -- will bring together indigenous leaders and civil society from all parts of the world. This is the first time that indigenous voices will be heard at such a high level by the world Organization. The new Forum represents an historic advance in indigenous peoples' efforts to reach the ear of the international community and make their needs and concerns known. While they have made steady progress at the United Nations -- from their first approach to the League of Nations, to the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and the subsequent establishment of the International Decade -- the creation of the Forum as a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council is a breakthrough achievement.