A/HRC/45/34 I. Introduction 1. This is the final report of the current Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, to the Human Rights Council. It provides brief information about the activities carried out since the Special Rapporteur last reported to the Council, and highlights some specific examples of positive impacts that the work carried out during the period of her mandate has had on the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. 2. The Special Rapporteur also briefly summarizes recommendations on the implementation of indigenous peoples’ right to consultation and free, prior and informed consent, which draw on her experience of providing technical advice in Latin America and elsewhere. Finally, she provides brief reflections on the mandate at the end of her term, and some forward-looking recommendations. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 3. The Special Rapporteur completed one official country visit, and initiated a second country visit which had to be interrupted due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, since she last reported to the Human Rights Council. 4. From 14 to 24 October 2019, the Special Rapporteur undertook a country visit to the Congo. During her visit, she held meetings in Brazzaville, visited indigenous communities in several parts of Sangha department, and met indigenous representatives from Lékoumou, Pool and Plateaux departments. In her end-of-mission statement, she underlined the importance of the adoption of the national law on the rights of indigenous peoples in 2011, but she remarked that there was a long way to go for its actual implementation.1 5. As reflected in her report on the country visit to the Congo, among the main challenges she could observe during her visit was the significant discrimination, exclusion and marginalization that indigenous peoples suffered in the country, which affected their access to health services, education, employment and political participation. She also stressed the negative impacts on the rights of indigenous peoples from measures to conserve nature and wildlife, which were taken without their participation and consent. Such measures resulted in deprivation of their own means of subsistence and of their traditional way of life, while making them victims of both violence and prosecution on charges of poaching. In this respect, the Special Rapporteur recommended that the Government design and implement national actions that recognized and strengthened indigenous peoples’ culture and traditional livelihoods.2 6. The Special Rapporteur had an official visit scheduled to Denmark and Greenland from 9 to 19 March 2020. Although the country visit was initiated, it had to be interrupted due to COVID-19 restrictions and security concerns. The Special Rapporteur notes that the Government of Denmark and the Government of Greenland have both indicated their desire for the visit to be completed, and she hopes that this can be carried out by her successor as soon as the situation allows. Among the preliminary non-exhaustive topics that will be addressed as part of the country visit are the situation of children and youth, health, selfgovernance, development and climate change impacts. 3 7. In November 2019, the Special Rapporteur, in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and with the support of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and the Tebtebba Foundation, convened a regional consultation with over 100 representatives of indigenous peoples from 12 Asian countries. Among the objectives of the consultation were the exchange of experiences, and dialogue, regarding the current challenges faced by indigenous peoples in the Asian region. In parallel, the Special Rapporteur issued a public call for inputs to develop a report on the situation of the rights of indigenous peoples in Asia, following up on the reports developed 1 2 3 See https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25196&LangID=E and https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25210&LangID=E. A/HRC/45/34/Add.1. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/ Callforinput_Denmark_Greenland.aspx. 3