A/79/160 recognizes their mobility practices, including the designation of traditional passages that require permits for overnight stays, construction and grazing. 42 24. The Plurinational State of Bolivia has allocated 7 out of 130 seats in Parliament for mobile Indigenous Peoples. 43 The country’s Constitution recognizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact to “maintain themselves in that condition, and to the legal definition and consolidation of the territory which they occupy and inhabit”. 44 According to civil society organizations, there is evidence of the presence of at least 185 Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact in South America, 66 of which are recognized by States. 45 Ecuador has adopted measures to protect Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact, including a constitutional guarantee to “ensure respect for their self-determination and will to remain in isolation and ensure the observance of their rights” and a prohibition against extractive activities within their territories. 46 The country’s Environmental Code further recognizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation in protected areas. 47 25. Colombia adopted the national system for the prevention and protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in isolation or natural condition, which recognizes the intangibility of their territories and right to remain in isolation and without contact. However, it has not been fully implemented. 48 The absence of official data on Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact in Africa, Asia and the Pacific is the primary barrier to the adoption of appropriate legislation and policies to protect them. 26. Often, mobile Indigenous Peoples must adjust to colonial political structures in order to exercise their right to participation, despite the fact that these structures do not reflect their institutions and patterns of mobility, and that the structures of ten favour sedentarization or exclusion. Mobile Indigenous Peoples ’ political participation is often limited by barriers in obtaining identification and voter registration, which may be based on fixed residence requirements. Living in remote, isolated and inaccessible areas requires travelling long distances or through difficult terrain to participate in elections. There is often a lack of access to critical information concerning voter registration and the electoral process because of language barriers, particularly for elders. 49 High levels of illiteracy, inadequate economic empowerment, forced evictions and the denial of health services, all of which may be linked to mobility, can also limit political participation. In Scandinavian countries, voting in local elections is based on residence and where taxes are paid, yet Sami reindeer herders move across many municipalities. Establishing residence to vote in another municipality may affect children’s rights, including education in the Sami language. 50 __________________ 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 10/28 IPAF, NOA – INTA, Argentina submission. Maat for Peace, Egypt submission. Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, art. 31. International Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact submission. Constitution of Ecuador, art. 57. Environmental Code of Ecuador, art. 48. Submission of the Office of the Ombudsperson, Colombia. International Foundation for Electoral Systems submission. Sami Parliament of Norway submission. 24-13045