A/HRC/24/51 147. NNTC noted that an intensified effort to create awareness of the Declaration among Government officials and departments was necessary and could yield positive results in achieving the goals of the Declaration. As an example, the NNTC explained that the Social Justice Commissioner of Australia became sensitive to this standard and thus emphasized the importance of a collaborative partnership between the Government of Australia and indigenous peoples to develop a sustainable and empowering strategy that fully realizes the Declaration. 148. Indigenous peoples’ organizations emphasized that best practices would include the recognition of indigenous peoples in countries where this has not yet occurred; enforcement of the Declaration and its inclusion in public policies; engagement in consultation processes with indigenous peoples on matters affecting their lives and activities; provision of support for the work of indigenous peoples organizations to promote the Declaration; demilitarization; and access to justice. CEPODRA proposed the creation in Peru of an intercultural committee in charge of indigenous interests. V. Concluding comments A. General 149. The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples very much appreciates the responses of States and of indigenous peoples, indigenous peoples’ organizations and non-governmental organizations to its questionnaire, especially because the responses can provide inspiration to creatively devise strategies to implement the Declaration. B. States 150. The majority of responses received from States provided information at a very general level. In particular, there was almost no information provided indicating the effectiveness of the measures taken. Most States only provided positive answers to questions. Negative answers would also provide greater understanding of the challenges States face when implementing the Declaration. 151. Many States identified national legislation that recognizes and protects indigenous peoples’ rights, which the Expert Mechanism acknowledges as a significant achievement. However, States did not indicate whether there were sufficient administrative measures in place to ensure that the legal measures result in effective protection of the rights. 152. While not explicitly stated in the responses to the questionnaire, some States appear to perceive there to be a struggle to balance the recognition and implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples as articulated in the Declaration and the principle of equality. Equality continues to be interpreted by some States to prohibit specialized programmes aimed at achieving the goals of the Declaration. The Expert Mechanism stresses that substantive equality can require treating indigenous peoples as distinct groups facing unique circumstances. 153. Some State responses suggested a vagueness on the definition of indigenous peoples, including in terms of distinctions between minorities and indigenous peoples. Some States also indicated that indigenous peoples constituted the numerical majority within the State and thus did not present any concern for the recognition of their rights, which, in the view of the Expert Mechanism, is not always the case. 23