A/HRC/45/34/Add.1 adoption. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that an additional decree, on recognition of traditional and customary lands for indigenous peoples, is being studied. 12. The indigenous peoples consulted during the visit lacked awareness of their rights under international law, the Constitution and national legislation. In at least three communities visited, no one knew about the existence of Law No. 5-2011. Apart from sporadic initiatives by civil society organizations, there was no evidence of any comprehensive, nationwide, government-led campaign to raise indigenous peoples’ awareness about their rights, how to exercise them and how to seek remedies in case of interference or denial. 13. RENAPAC, which is based in Brazzaville, is well-placed to assist in the dissemination of information about Law No. 5-2011 throughout the country but suffers from paralysing internal leadership conflicts and chronic underfunding. Non-governmental organizations have individually translated and disseminated the Law into languages understood by indigenous peoples. B. National action plans 1. National action plans to improve the well-being of indigenous peoples 14. Since 2009, the Government has designed and implemented two consecutive national action plans to improve the well-being of indigenous peoples in the Congo, one for 2009–2013 and one for 2014–2017. A third plan, for 2020–2023, has been at the drafting stage for several years. The draft plan covers areas such as participation, civil registration, access to health-care and education services, water and employment, the promotion of indigenous culture and the mapping of indigenous peoples’ locations. 15. National action plans guide the Government’s action and bring together different ministries and United Nations agencies to work on common objectives. The Special Rapporteur notes that the collective rights related to self-determination and land rights set out in articles 4 and 25 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are not yet covered by the current draft plan. Moreover, planned action on education and economic development may lack the necessary safeguards against assimilation since it does not emphasize the necessity for culturally appropriate solutions for those indigenous peoples who wish to maintain their distinct identity. 16. In a national assessment realized in 20156 it was noted that progress had been made after the implementation of the first two action plans but also that poverty and discrimination against indigenous peoples, especially against indigenous women, was still a daily reality and that the lack of systematic collection of data had prevented a proper, full assessment. Furthermore, government action for indigenous peoples was not part of a crosssectoral strategy and indigenous peoples themselves were not sufficiently involved in the design and implementation of the action plans. In the assessment it was stressed that the living conditions of indigenous populations could not be sustainably improved by means of ad hoc interventions. 17. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the existence of such action plans and strongly encourages the Government to seek greater participation by indigenous peoples in their preparation and implementation, to ensure that the action taken responds, in a culturally appropriate manner, to the actual needs of the populations. The Special Rapporteur also recommends that disaggregated data be systematically collected in order to measure the impact of all general social governmental initiatives and ensure that their positive results also reach indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and girls. 18. The lack of coordination of national interventions within various ministries remains a challenge. The implementation of Decree No. 2019-203 of 12 July 2019 establishing the interministerial committee should hopefully help various ministries to work together to implement Law No. 5-2011. The committee’s inaugural meeting, due to take place during 6 See https://pcpacongo.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/rapport_evaluation_autochtones-2015.pdf (in French). 5