A/HRC/12/32 page 9 article 42 of the Declaration, which calls on the United Nations, its bodies, specialized agencies and States to promote the respect for and effective implementation of the provisions contained in the Declaration, also applies to the mandate of the Expert Mechanism. 14. The Chairperson-Rapporteur informed the participants that, during discussions under agenda item 3, the draft of the study on the right of indigenous peoples to education, which is to be concluded in 2009, will be presented. She acknowledged the challenges faced to complete a draft study which covers the diverse situation of indigenous peoples globally, and called for further comments on how to improve the study as well as concrete ways and means to achieve the right of indigenous peoples to education. 15. The Chairperson-Rapporteur further underlined the value of the existing collaboration with other United Nations mandates relevant to indigenous peoples. She noted that, building on the positive experience gained during the first session, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people will be available for separate consultations on cases of human rights violations during the present session. The Chairperson-Rapporteur concluded by commending the Government of Norway for its additional financial contribution to the work of the Expert Mechanism and called for increased funding for its activities in order to discharge its mandate effectively. 16. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, was given the floor. He expressed the view that the establishment of the Expert Mechanism marked an important milestone in the progress of the international movement to protect indigenous rights and the beginning of another new chapter. Concerning the coordination of the three mechanisms, he expressed satisfaction that collaboration between the respective mandates has continued and developed throughout the past year. For him, an important aspect of this collaboration was to provide input to the thematic studies of the Expert Mechanism. 17. He further stated that he had started to develop methods for receiving communications during the sessions of the Expert Mechanism in order to maximize the impact of the participation of indigenous groups. 18. The Special Rapporteur offered some views on two of the agenda items of the session of the Expert Mechanism. Regarding agenda item 3 concerning the right to education, he reported that indigenous peoples conveyed to him their concerns, including the lack of institutional capacity to provide good quality education; the unavailability or inadequacy of bilingual and multicultural educational opportunities; and the inadequate incorporation of indigenous languages and cultural perspectives into educational curriculum and texts. A common problem also raised was the lack of participation of, or consultation with, indigenous peoples in the development and implementation of educational initiatives that affect them. 19. Indigenous peoples had expressed concern about the widespread use of educational materials reflecting solely the cultures of the dominant groups. He considered that the study of the Expert Mechanism was instrumental in providing States, indigenous peoples and other actors with a framework for identifying key issues and developing coordinated action to address them. The centrality of education to the effective enjoyment of other rights, including the overarching right of self-determination, he said, cannot be understated.

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