E/CN.4/2005/88 page 18 universities has traditionally been difficult owing to such factors as geographical remoteness, cost, cultural prejudice and the low number of indigenous students completing pre-university studies. When at last they do obtain a university diploma, most indigenous students tend to remain in urban areas, look for jobs in the modern economy and adapt to the lifestyle of a culture other than their own, which results in a loss for their communities and peoples of origin. 73. Roughly 20 years ago some universities, especially in wealthy countries, set up centres or departments specializing in subjects related to indigenous peoples. In North America “native studies centres” abounded. Affirmative action (scholarships, grants, quotas, etc.) made it possible to increase the number of indigenous students in some universities. Special courses on indigenous topics made their appearance next. An interesting experience is taking place at the University of California at Los Angeles, which has set up the Tribal Learning Community and Educational Exchange (TLCEE) to help generate a curriculum based both on Western scholarship and tribal knowledge. 74. Most recently there has been a demand from indigenous peoples for the establishment of indigenous universities in indigenous areas, with programmes designed specifically for indigenous peoples. A growing number of such centres of higher education now exist in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America, the Nordic countries, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Mexico. Each of them constitutes a response to a specific situation, and their structure, course content, administration, teaching staff, teaching methods, etc. are different. Yet despite these differences, they are inspired by common ideals, which are to provide high-quality education that meets the current needs of indigenous peoples, forge a close link between the university and indigenous communities and train an indigenous professional and technical elite that can work for the development of their peoples and help them relate to the modern, globalized world. If these ideals can be fully realized in these universities, then the right to education will be fully exercised. It should be noted that these efforts are taking place in the context of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, in which the human rights education of indigenous peoples has played a particularly important role. 75. The Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (URACCAN), established in the early 1990s, is the first indigenous university in Central America. Its focus is multiethnic and its goal is to promote and strengthen continuing education for the people of the Atlantic coast. The university has played a central role in the development of the Intercultural Bilingual Education Programme (PEBI) for the indigenous people of the area. E. The work of the United Nations and other institutions in the area of indigenous education 76. Several United Nations agencies provide support for the education of indigenous peoples. UNICEF reports that it is involved in a number of intercultural education projects in various parts of the world. In Bolivia, for example, it is providing support for four indigenous education councils that advise the Government in this area, and in Brazil it has collaborated with an indigenous council of the Guarani people. It has also helped with a study on the education needs of nomadic communities in the United Republic of Tanzania. As has been noted above, various obstacles can impede children’s access to schooling. In Venezuela UNICEF is promoting the civil registration of all children, which facilitates their admission to school, while in Mexico it is