A/HRC/10/56 page 8 D. Election of officers 9. The Deputy High Commissioner invited the members to nominate a Chairperson for the first session. Ms. Lasimbang announced that the members of the Expert Mechanism, through consensus, had nominated Mr. Henriksen and Mr. Morales as Chairperson-Rapporteur and Vice-Chairperson-Rapporteur, respectively. The Deputy High Commissioner declared them elected by acclamation. 10. In his opening statement, the Chairperson-Rapporteur said that the Expert Mechanism provided a unique space for focused multilateral discussions on how the United Nations could contribute to a better understanding of the scope and content of the rights of indigenous peoples. He emphasized that the mandate and functions of the Expert Mechanism were different from those of the former Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The Expert Mechanism had a strictly thematic mandate. It was not mandated to develop new standards or address country situations, nor was it a complaint procedure. 11. The Chairperson-Rapporteur stated that the normative framework for the work of the Expert Mechanism included all relevant international instruments related to the rights of indigenous peoples, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He added that the Expert Mechanism had an important role in promoting the operationalization of the rights affirmed in the Declaration and in mainstreaming them into the Council’s overall efforts to promote and protect all human rights. 12. The Chairperson-Rapporteur called upon Member States, indigenous peoples and other stakeholders to engage themselves in the work of the mechanism. He said that it should be able to address issues that are truly important for indigenous peoples. He expressed the hope and belief that the thematic focus of the Expert Mechanism would emerge as a natural outcome of the discussions and consultations during the annual sessions of the Mechanism. 13. The Chairperson-Rapporteur was of the view that the open arrangement for participation greatly facilitated the work of the Expert Mechanism. He stated that it was of particular importance that indigenous peoples’ organizations and representatives not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council were also able to participate. In his view, strong and broad indigenous participation was of utmost importance. He welcomed the suggestions made by the Council to the General Assembly to adjust the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations, taking into account the creation of the Expert Mechanism. 14. A representative of the Navajo nation, Rex Lee Jim, gave an invocation to open the session. E. Adoption of the agenda and programme of work 15. At its first meeting, the revised provisional agenda prepared by OHCHR was adopted (see annex II). At the same meeting, the Expert Mechanism also adopted a programme of work for the session, showing the order and distribution of meeting time for each agenda item at the first session. The Expert Mechanism held six meetings during the session, of which one was a private meeting.