A/HRC/15/37/Add.5 non-traditional, mainstream economic activities, their cultures and identities, and, consequently, their status as protected small-numbered indigenous peoples will be threatened. 61. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur notes that examples in Russian and other parts of the world have shown that indigenous communities are able to enter into successful entrepreneurship that extends beyond traditional economies, without having to sacrifice their unique cultures. In this connection, articles 3, 20 and 23 of the Declaration state that indigenous peoples have the right to “freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”, to maintain and develop their economic systems, and “to determine and develop priorities for exercising their right to development”. The right to development includes the right to preserve and continue traditional economic activities and the right to choose to develop those activities in the modern world and participate in broader spheres of economic life. 62. In fact, indigenous communities in Russia with whom the Special Rapporteur spoke expressed a strong desire to participate much more actively in economic activities that are not considered traditional, such as oil development or other commercial and industrial enterprises, or development of tourist destinations around historic sites. They view this as a way to ensure the economic viability of their communities without a long-term dependence on Government subsidies. 63. For example villagers from Surinda Village in Krasnoyarsky Krai, where about 500 Evenks live, explained that their community cannot survive on reindeer herding alone. Currently the village depends on regional and federal subsidies, but the budget allocated to the village is largely insufficient to meet the community’s needs for new housing and infrastructure, inter alia. The villagers expressed the hope that in the future they would be able to start commercial enterprises and thereby create an independent revenue stream for their community and enable it to develop and thrive without long-term reliance on governmental support. 64. Another example is the village of Sikachi-Alian in Khabarovsky Krai, with a population of 312, mostly Nanai, residents, which is situated near 12,000 year-old petroglyphs, remnants of an ancient Nanai settlement. The village subsists primarily on financial assistance from the regional government, although 60 per cent of the villagers work in a nearby city. The officials of the village expressed an interest in developing the historic petroglyph site as a tourist destination, complete with tours and souvenir and traditional crafts gift shops, in order to enable the village to be self-sufficient economically. However, this is currently not possible, because all historical heritage locations are the property of the federal Government and not within the village’s control. 65. Some Government officials in Moscow expressed openness to the idea that indigenous peoples could participate actively in the mainstream economy, but stated that there are many obstacles to this. Because of the location of indigenous settlements, remote from urban centres, transportation costs for what they produce are often prohibitive or render production non-competitive. The Special Rapporteur hopes that Government officials will nevertheless develop a long-term vision of economic development in indigenous areas, and strive to support and encourage various models of economic exchange and enterprises, including support for and development of non-traditional economic activities. 2. Education 66. While there are many positive developments in the area of indigenous education, problems remain. As of 2002, 48 per cent of indigenous people in Russia had only elementary education and 17 per cent were illiterate, compared respectively with 8 per cent 16 GE.10-14779