A/HRC/48/54 48. In many States, over one year after the pandemic broke out, there has been little or no effort to involve or consult with indigenous peoples on the design of recovery policies, address their specific needs for assistance or adopt culturally appropriate recovery measures. 58 By failing to consult with indigenous peoples, Governments have designed economic recovery plans that fail to take into account appropriately the needs of indigenous peoples. 49. Vaccination campaigns are often implemented without adequate planning and communication. Vaccination plans are being adopted in the absence of meaningful consultations with indigenous communities to ensure that they are informed, to address their cultural and linguistic needs, physical isolation and the lack of health-care infrastructure and personnel and medicines. That in turn, compounded by systemic marginalization and discrimination, has resulted in low vaccination rates among indigenous peoples. 50. Globally, indigenous peoples have often been excluded from participating in national and local bodies taking decisions about the health risks of COVID-19. As a result, those bodies have not taken measures that address the vulnerability of indigenous peoples. 51. Some States have initiated programmes that could have positive impacts on indigenous peoples during the COVID-19 recovery phase. First Nations in British Columbia, Canada, already had an agreement in place between the national and provincial Governments to improve emergency management services and indigenous leaders report that results were achieved.59 As part of a COVID-19 recovery spending package, Canada allocated funding to indigenous peoples to enhance public health measures and assist with supportive care costs, conducted round tables and surveys with indigenous communities and launched a violence prevention programme to provide culturally relevant support to indigenous women, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and two-spirit people. 52. The National Institute of Indigenous Peoples in Mexico created and disseminated a COVID-19 awareness and assistance guide in indigenous languages and supported a network of radio stations to broadcast information about COVID-19 in 35 indigenous languages.60 53. Germany is funding the indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas global support initiative to support indigenous communities in 45 partner countries in their fight against COVID-19, while encouraging nature conservation.61 India, as part of its recovery package, has created the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority to provide jobs for tribal communities in forest management, wildlife protection and other related activities.62 The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance in Guatemala has published a sociocultural guide for prevention, containment and management of cases of COVID-19 among indigenous peoples.63 V. Indigenous peoples-led COVID-19 recovery initiatives 54. In the face of historic and ongoing colonialism and the triggering of intergenerational trauma from memories of past pandemics spread through colonization, indigenous peoples have shown great resilience and collective strength during the pandemic. Many indigenous communities are still in the disaster management and response phase and have not been able to engage in recovery efforts. Challenges remain in addressing the setbacks and aftershocks 58 59 60 61 62 63 12 See submissions by Charrua Nation; Alianza de Organizaciones de Derechos Humanos Ecuador; Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la Amazonía Ecuatorian; and Cultural Survival. See also OHCHR and Defenders Coalition, “Kenya: leaving no one behind in the Covid-19 crisis”, p. 6. See submission by Tŝilhqot’in Nation. See submission by National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (Mexico). See also National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, “Guía para la atención de pueblos indígenas y afromexicano ante el COVID-19, en lenguas indígenas” (in Spanish only). See www.bmu.de/en/pressrelease/preventing-pandemics-with-global-biodiversity-protection. See Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, “Biodiversity and the economic response to COVID-19: ensuring a green and resilient recovery” (28 September 2020). “Guía sociocultural para la prevención, contención y manejo de casos COVID-19 a nivel comunitario en pueblos indígenas de Guatemala”.