A/73/227 blocs, questions the authority of any person or institution to impose an interpretation on cultural resources and calls for greater access to cultural goods and practices for all. 60. Cultural diversity is an essential factor for the realization of all universal human rights, and full respect for human rights both creates an enabling environme nt for, and is a guarantee of, cultural diversity. 43 For instance, oral, audio, visual and written materials, as well as a diversity of physical and virtual spaces, are necessary to realize freedom of expression. It is through respecting this freedom for al l that a variety of media, content and forms of expression can flourish. There can be no freedom of thought and conscience in a context where a single ideology is imposed, and protecting freedom of conscience and belief also ensures the existence of a plur ality of religions and beliefs. No political decision can be legitimate without there being a real alternative available and ensuring the right for all, including persons belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples, to meaningfully participate in the de cisionmaking processes contributes to a wider array of political options. 61. The efforts to guarantee equal human rights to all persons with disabilities have shown this mutually reinforcing relationship between diversity and all human rights. Disability results from the interaction between persons with impairment, external barriers that hinder their participation, such as attitudinal barriers (for example, stereotypes), and the way that society is organized. The conditions to equally access physical and intellectual resources and opportunities, such as education, employment and mobility, need to be adapted to ensure real life choices and full and effective participation in society. A comprehensive approach to the indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights goes further: it is not sufficient to adapt the conditions, persons with disabilities have the right to access and participate in society from their own cultural perspective, as long as it is compatible with universally recognized human rights. Continuously questioning the norms and processes and giving more thought to how every person can be fully included while respecting their inherent dignity is necessary to ensure the effectivity of universal human rights in ever-changing contexts and realities. Creative solutions to improve diversity in the services and opportunities available, such as audiobooks, tactile reproductions in museums or soundscapes for the arts, often result in greater accessibility for all. There is no default human being who serves as the sole standard for what human rights require. 62. Given the equality that it mandates, universality is of great importance to indigenous peoples in their struggles to keep their cultures and traditions alive and resist assimilation and the compounding effects of colonization, internalization of oppression, displacements from traditional territories and the reconstruction of cultures and communities in urban centres. 44 For indigenous peoples, the right to selfdetermination and most other human rights cannot be fully realized without respect for their world views and cultural resources, and therefore implies their right not to be forced into assimilation. 45 An integrated approach, bringing together universality and cultural diversity is essential, as is free, prior and informed consent. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples references the importance of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art. 1) and diversity (art. 15) for the rights of indigenous peoples. Moreover, it requires that “in the exercise of the __________________ 43 44 45 18/26 UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, arts. 4 and 5 . Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, “The human development framework and indigenous peoples’ selfdetermined development or development with culture and identity” (E/C.19/2010/CRP.4). See General Assembly resolution 61/295 (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), in particular arts. 3–5 and 8. Of the 46 rights in the Declaration, 11 relate directly to culture and cultural matters. 18-12312