A/RES/53/129 Page 2 2. Affirms its conviction of the value and diversity of the cultures and forms of social organization of indigenous people and its conviction that the development of indigenous people within their countries will contribute to the socio-economic, cultural and environmental advancement of all the countries of the world; 3. Emphasizes the importance of strengthening the human and institutional capacity of indigenous people to develop their own solutions to their problems, recommends for these purposes that the United Nations University, as a follow-up to the planned workshop for research and higher education institutions, as outlined in Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1997/32 of 11 April 19973 and 1998/13 of 9 April 1998,4 consider the possibility of sponsoring, in each region, one or more existing institutions of higher education as centres of excellence and the diffusion of expertise, inter alia, by conducting relevant studies, and invites the Commission to recommend appropriate means of implementation; 4. Notes that the programme of activities of the Decade may be reviewed and updated throughout the Decade and that, at the mid-point of the Decade in 1999, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly should review the results of the activities in order to identify obstacles to the achievement of the goals of the Decade and to recommend solutions for overcoming such obstacles; 5. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as coordinator for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People: (a) To continue to promote the objectives of the Decade, taking into account, in the fulfilment of her functions, the special concerns of indigenous people; (b) To proceed with the organization, from within existing resources and voluntary contributions, of the workshop for research and higher education institutions focusing on indigenous issues in education, in consultation with indigenous people and the relevant United Nations bodies, which the Government of Costa Rica has offered to host in 1999; (c) To give due regard to the dissemination, from within existing resources and voluntary contributions, of information on the situation, cultures, languages, rights and aspirations of indigenous people and, in that context, to consider the possibility of organizing projects, special events, exhibitions and other activities targeting the public, in particular young people; (d) To submit, through the Secretary-General, an annual report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the programme of activities of the Decade; 6. Reaffirms the adoption of a declaration on the rights of indigenous people as a major objective of the Decade, and underlines the importance of effective participation by indigenous representatives in the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights charged with elaborating a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people, established pursuant to Commission resolution 1995/32 of 3 March 1995;5 3 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1997, Supplement No. 3 (E/1997/23), chap. II, sect. A. 4 Ibid., 1998, Supplement No. 3 (E/1998/23), chap. II, sect. A. 5 Ibid., 1995, Supplement No. 3 and corrigenda (E/1995/23 and Corr.1 and 2), chap. II, sect. A. /...