A/HRC/4/32/Add.2 page 8 14. The Constitution includes some requests made during the long period of political organization of the Ecuadorian indigenous peoples, which first had repercussions at the national level during the 1990s. These requests were made, among others, by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), the Federation of Peoples of the Quechua Nationality of Ecuador (ECUARUNARI), the National Confederation of Rural, Indigenous and Black Organizations (FENOCIN), the Ecuadorian Federation of Evangelical Indigenous People (FEINE), and the Ecuadorian Indigenous Federation (FEI). All these organizations, although not always acting in unison, share the main demands of Ecuador’s indigenous peoples and communities. 15. In 1998, an Indigenous Peoples Commission was constituted in the National Congress. Since its creation this had been led by an indigenous woman deputy, which facilitated both the 1998 ratification of the 1989 International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, and the debate and subsequent approval of the Indigenous Nationalities and Peoples Act. In November 2002 after its adoption in full this was vetoed by the then president, Gustavo Noboa Bejarano. 16. The constitutional rights of indigenous peoples have not yet been incorporated into adequate secondary legislation, which has made the management of public policies, administration of justice and allocation of resources to these peoples difficult. They are urging action in this respect and have even suggested the need to convoke a new Constituent Assembly on this issue. An oft-cited example of the failure to develop proper legal arrangements is the lack of any regularization of indigenous land. 17. Recent advances include the establishment of CODENPE, a representative and participative authority, whose executive secretary holds the rank of a minister. The establishment of DNSPI, DINEIB, the Ecuadorian Nationalities and Peoples Information and Research System (SIDENPE), the Indigenous Peoples’ Development Fund (FODEPI) and DINAPIN, as part of the Office of the Ombudsman, were also significant. As these institutions were established by presidential or ministerial decree, they are not subject to government legislation, which weakens their ability to shape policies and generate resources for indigenous peoples. III. HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF ECUADOR: PRIORITY AREAS A. Impact of oil exploration on indigenous communities 18. In the 1970s, oil exploration became one of the main economic activities and sources of foreign exchange earnings in Ecuador. It is seen as an activity of national interest, through which the State can regularly meet its current and social expenditures. The oil areas, particularly in the Amazon region, were divided into “blocks” and subsequently granted in concession to various transnational companies. These activities have had considerable impact on the environment and living conditions of local peoples, particularly indigenous peoples, and provoked tension and conflict between some indigenous communities, oil companies and the State.