A/HRC/36/57
indigenous-owned businesses in promoting respect for human rights, indigenous
knowledge-based businesses, and strategies to promote non-discriminatory access to
financial services by indigenous peoples.
7.
From 17 to 21 March 2017, the Expert Mechanism held an intersessional meeting in
the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, hosted by the Government of the
Russian Federation. The purpose of this meeting was to draft specific methods of work for
the various activities enshrined in the new mandate of the Expert Mechanism. The meeting
enabled the Expert Mechanism to develop guidelines for its engagement in country
situations, including responding to requests by indigenous peoples and States for technical
advice and dialogue facilitation.
8.
The Expert Mechanism was also represented at the sixteenth session (April-May
2017) of the Permanent Forum and took part in the high-level commemorations of the
adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, conducted
by the General Assembly on 25 April 2017. In addition, several members of the Expert
Mechanism engaged with United Nations agencies, regional human rights mechanisms,
Member States and civil society organizations at the country level, including through
activities related to capacity-building.
III. Studies, reports and proposals
A.
Adoption of studies and reports
9.
During its session, the Expert Mechanism adopted the following:
(a)
A study 2 and advice on good practices and challenges in business and in
access to financial services by indigenous peoples, mandated by the Human Rights Council
in its resolution 33/13, paragraph 4;
(b)
A report on 10 years of the implementation of the Declaration,3 describing
good practices, lessons learned and methods of work relating to its new mandate, in
accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 33/25, paragraph 2 (b).
10.
The Expert Mechanism agreed that the Chair-Rapporteur, in consultation with the
other members of the Expert Mechanism, might make revisions to the above-mentioned
documents in the light of discussions carried out at its tenth session, and agreed to submit
them to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session.
B.
Proposals
Proposal 1: Participation of indigenous peoples in the Human Rights Council
11.
The Expert Mechanism proposes that the Human Rights Council make further
efforts to facilitate the participation in its work of indigenous peoples’ representatives and
institutions, as opposed to non-governmental organizations, in accordance with the
Declaration. This would include all meetings relevant to the rights of indigenous peoples, in
particular the dialogue between the Expert Mechanism and the Special Rapporteur on the
rights of indigenous peoples and the annual half-day discussion on the rights of indigenous
peoples. The Expert Mechanism makes this proposal without prejudice to the ongoing
consultative process in the General Assembly aimed at enhancing the participation of
indigenous peoples in United Nations meetings, to enable the participation of indigenous
peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations bodies on
issues affecting them.
2
3
4
A/HRC/36/53.
A/HRC/36/56.