A/HRC/30/52
Declaration. Participants highlighted the need for selection criteria that differentiated
indigenous peoples from civil society and academics.
34.
It was also recommended that the Human Rights Council take up the invitation
contained in the outcome document to consider examining the causes and consequences of
violence against indigenous women and girls, including by holding a panel discussion on
the rights of indigenous women and by encouraging the Secretary-General to issue specific
recommendations for action to address that issue. Some participants highlighted the need to
be cognizant of the multiple forms of discrimination faced by indigenous persons with
disabilities and to ensure that indigenous persons with disabilities were always taken into
consideration by human rights mechanisms.
V. Panel discussion on indigenous peoples’ human rights in
relation to business enterprises
35.
Mr. Barume opened the panel discussion on indigenous peoples’ rights in relation to
business enterprises by welcoming participants and introducing the panellists. He drew
attention to the Expert Mechanism’s work on that subject, including the follow-up report on
indigenous peoples and the right to participate in decision-making, with a focus on
extractive industries (A/HRC/21/55).
36.
The OHCHR Adviser on Business and Human Rights provided an overview of the
Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. She discussed the historical background
to the Guiding Principles and its key elements: the State’s duty to protect human rights, the
corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and access to remedy for victims. She
provided examples of how both States and enterprises had implemented the Guiding
Principles. She highlighted opportunities for indigenous peoples within that process,
including the use of the framework for advocacy and policy development and indigenous
peoples’ participation in national action plan processes.
37.
Pavel Sulyandziga, a member of the Working Group on the issue of human rights
and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, emphasized the importance of
dialogue between all stakeholders: indigenous peoples, businesses and States. He discussed
the work of the Working Group in promoting the effective implementation of the Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights, including through the development of national
action plans, and urged indigenous peoples to use that instrument as a tool for the
protection of their rights at the national and international levels. He also drew attention to
the fact that, in its reports to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, the
Working Group had addressed the impact of business enterprises on the rights of
indigenous peoples. He emphasized the importance of free, prior and informed consent and
stressed that the implementation of the Guiding Principles should be informed by the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He encouraged
indigenous peoples to participate in the Forum on Business and Human Rights, which
would take place in Geneva from 16 to 18 November 2015. He stressed that the
endorsement of national action plans on business and human rights could lead to national
discussions on human rights violations linked to business and could also become valuable
remedy tools.
38.
Agnes Leina, a representative of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating
Committee, provided a regional perspective from Africa, focusing on potential risks to
indigenous peoples stemming from extractive industries and the Programme for
Infrastructure Development in Africa, supported by the African Development Bank, among
others. She emphasized the fact that, under the current development model in Africa, the
gains from extractive industry and infrastructure development tended to benefit a small
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