agreements, if any, between Ecuador and its indigenous populations and on the representation of minorities in the elected bodies of Ecuador. 258. In his reply, the representative of the State party stated that the Shuaros made up about half the indigenous population living in the Amazon region, the rest comprising a further 13 ethnic groups. The ecological deterioration of the region was due, in particular, to the deforestation attendant on the spontaneous settlement that had taken place after roads had been built through the area; oil production; and the granting of agricultural concessions to plant crops such as the oil palm. In an attempt to curb spontaneous settlement, the Government had amended the agrarian reform measures that had conferred ownership of land on those clearing it of trees. The Institute for Agrarian Settlement was also promoting more rational use of lands in the Amazon region. The indigenous peoples had a very important role to play in the protection of the area and, therefore, over 1 million hectares had been granted to them. The Government had also set up new stringent standards for oil companies working in the Amazon region and a bill had been drawn up to establish a fund for conservation of the ecology of the Amazon region. However, enormous problems still remained to be addressed and continuous vigilance was necessary. Ecuador hoped to be as successful in protecting the Amazon region as it had been in conserving the ecologically fragile area of the Galapagos region. 259. Replying to other questions, the representative said that indigenous peoples had always been considered as Ecuadorians and, therefore, Ecuador had not signed any treaty or agreement with them. Electoral minorities participated in Government according to a quota system based on the size of their vote in an election. Concluding observations by individual members 260. Members of the Committee expressed their thanks to the representatives of the State party for their cooperation in presenting the third periodic report of Ecuador and for having engaged in a fruitful and constructive dialogue with the Committee. The delegation had given comprehensive and frank replies and the report itself made no secret of the human rights violations committed, in particular, by some branches of the police. It was clear that the Government was very concerned to improve the human rights situation and had the necessary political will to eliminate the last vestiges of human rights violations. Positive developments noted by the Committee included Ecuador's accession to a large number of regional and international human rights instruments; the human rights training being dispensed to members of the police and armed forces; the abolition of the Criminal Investigation Service; the restructuring of the police; and the creation of an Office of Director-General for Human Bights within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 261. At the same time, members of the Committee were of the view that every effort should continue to be made to prevent and eliminate once and for all cases of ill-treatment, to elucidate all the cases of disappearances that had occurred in the past, and to punish those responsible. Among the concerns expressed by members that had not been fully allayed were those relating to conditions for declaring a state of emergency and making the declaration provided for in article 4, paragraph 3, of the Covenant; compulsory labour in the context of military service; the independence of the judiciary, especially -60-