A/HRC/30/52
United Nations system, but rather to issues such as lack of political will to implement the
rights of indigenous peoples, including land rights; lack of a common understanding of the
key terms in the Declaration and of the meaning and interpretation of the rights contained
therein; and lack of disaggregated data collection.
29.
Referring to the commitment of States to consider ways to enable the participation
of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United
Nations bodies on issues affecting them (outcome document, para. 33), he noted that good
practices were currently being reviewed. He recalled that the report of the SecretaryGeneral on progress made in the implementation of the outcome document (A/70/84)
contained the proposal that the President of the General Assembly could appoint cofacilitators or advisers, including indigenous representatives, to lead an open-ended
consultation process on indigenous peoples’ participation at the United Nations.
30.
The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, establishing links
between the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and the post-2015 development
agenda, suggested that the operationalization of the outcome document of the World
Conference was critical in ensuring that indigenous peoples were not left behind in the
implementation of the new development goals. Echoing the concerns of many other
participants, the Special Rapporteur stated that formulating national action plans would be
key to implementing the commitments States had made in the outcome document. With
regard to the review of the mandate of the Expert Mechanism, she noted that there was
broad consensus among many State representatives on enhancing the capacity of the United
Nations mechanisms on indigenous peoples to advise States on the implementation of the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the outcome document of the World
Conference.
31.
Representatives of States and indigenous peoples reaffirmed their strong support for
the contribution of the Expert Mechanism in improving the rights of indigenous peoples.
Many representatives supported the call for a strengthened mandate for the Expert
Mechanism to improve further the rights of indigenous peoples. Specific recommendations
included broadening the mandate to include a function to monitor the implementation of the
Declaration that would promote and protect the rights enshrined therein and discourage
violations; preparing reports on the implementation of the Declaration; issuing general
comments and interpretations on the provisions of the Declaration; providing technical
assistance on implementation to States, indigenous peoples, the United Nations system and
the private sector; and collecting and disseminating information on good practices. Many
representatives recommended that any broadening of the mandate should not result in a
duplication of the mandates of either the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous
peoples or the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Securing additional financial
resources for the possible increased role of the Expert Mechanism was also considered
vital.
32.
Significant emphasis was placed on States’ commitment to take action to achieve the
ends of the Declaration at the national level, through legal, policy and administrative
measures, particularly national action plans and strategies. Positive examples were
provided, including budgetary reviews Governments had carried out to evaluate the policy,
administrative and legislative changes needed to implement the Declaration, and indigenous
forums that had been established at the national level to monitor implementation.
33.
In addition to the review of the mandate of the Expert Mechanism several
participants commented on other aspects of follow-up to the World Conference, particularly
the participation of indigenous peoples in United Nations processes. Several indigenous
representatives supported the call for a new accreditation procedure to ensure the direct,
meaningful and effective participation of indigenous peoples, based on mutual respect and
partnerships between indigenous peoples and States, in accordance with article 18 of the
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