A/60/358 Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Special Rapporteur. A number of indigenous representatives mentioned the importance of putting the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations into practice after his country visits and called for increased efforts to follow up those visits. Government representatives of the countries visited to date informed the Working Group of recent action taken in their respective countries to follow up the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations. 22. During the dialogue, attention was drawn to the specific features of each mechanism’s mandate. Given the situation faced by millions of indigenous people around the world, all three mandates continue to be highly relevant. Taking into account the special nature of each mandate, participants highlighted the importance of enhancing the search for synergies so as to consolidate efforts to advance the indigenous affairs agenda in all fields, including the defence and protection of human rights. It was also agreed that each of the three mechanisms played an important and irreplaceable role in the United Nations system. 23. One of the areas in which joint efforts are needed is the organization of the information submitted at the annual sessions both of the Working Group and of the Permanent Forum. During these sessions, a great deal of information is received on specific cases of alleged human rights violations; however, the action that may be taken is limited under these mechanisms’ mandates. There is therefore a need to find appropriate ways of systematically bringing this information to the attention of the Special Rapporteur, whose mandate allows him to take action in such cases. The challenge is to obtain the resources needed to process and verify the information so as to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the necessary details to enable him to decide, in his capacity as an independent expert, what action may be taken. In addition, since his appointment in 2001 and during his missions to various countries, the Special Rapporteur has observed the efforts under way to develop coordinated action involving all the agencies and programmes of the United Nations system. In his discussions with United Nations country teams, he has noted the need to intensify efforts with regard to indigenous issues and, in particular, the need to consider these issues from a human rights perspective, with a view to achieving durable solutions to current challenges. This is an area in which the Working Group, the Special Rapporteur and OHCHR could combine their efforts to develop proposals on guiding principles for the formulation and implementation of projects and programmes aimed at improving the human rights conditions and, consequently, the living conditions of indigenous people. 24. The Special Rapporteur has also specifically followed up developments in the promotion and protection of indigenous people’s human rights at the regional level. For example, in April 2005 he attended the thirty-seventh session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at the invitation of its Chairman. At that session, he made a presentation to the plenary, held bilateral meetings with the Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities and had the opportunity to hold wide-ranging discussions with indigenous representatives from various African countries on the challenges their respective communities face. 25. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the commitment shown by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to study in depth the situation of indigenous people in Africa and to seek constructive ways of addressing their demands with durable solutions. The establishment of the Commission’s Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities to examine the main 8