A/HRC/11/11 page 18 73. The indigenous peoples’ struggle for equality and participation, following centuries of oppression and exploitation, has been interpreted by some sectors of the non-indigenous population and by some members of the political and economic elite, who have traditionally held the reins of power in the country, as a direct attack on their privileges and identity. There is a widespread perception circulating in some of the media that indigenous persons are seeking political power in order to establish an exclusivist indigenous State, from which all other Bolivians will be excluded. The indigenous organizations have themselves been accused of being racist and discriminatory towards the non-indigenous population (including whites, creoles and mestizos). While it is true that some radical indigenous groups have, on occasion, demonstrated their rejection of various non-indigenous sectors, at no time did the Special Rapporteur encounter racist sentiments (although he did encounter anti-racist convictions) among the responsible members and legitimate leadership of the many indigenous organizations of Bolivia, whether inside or outside the current Administration. VI. CONCLUSIONS 74. The cultural and social identity of the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, which for so long was denied and repressed, is rapidly being transformed through processes of social mobilization, political participation and economic change, in which the indigenous peoples themselves have become key actors. 75. Since coming to power in 2005, the Government has initiated profound political, legal and institutional reforms with the aim of reversing the situation of exclusion and marginalization of the predominantly indigenous population in the context of a new State model. Some of these reforms have met with opposition from some social, political and economic sectors, particularly in the eastern departments, leading to the state of crisis in which the country currently finds itself. The confrontation between these sectors and the central Government has its roots in historical models of differentiation between the various regions and peoples of Bolivia. This has created a very disturbing rise in racism, including physical and verbal assaults against indigenous leaders and human rights defenders. 76. The draft new Constitution approved by the Constituent Assembly in December 2007 reflects the intention to redefine the relationship between the State and the indigenous peoples based on the premise of the multicultural and plurinational nature of Bolivian society. The recognition of the rights of the indigenous peoples in the draft text takes full account of the provisions of ILO Convention No. 169 and of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which have already been incorporated into domestic law, as well as other international norms on the subject. 77. The main challenges to the enjoyment of the rights of the indigenous peoples in Bolivia are access to land and recognition of their traditional territories, in both the Andean region, which is characterized by the scarcity and fragmentation of indigenous land ownership, and the low-lying Amazonian, Chaco and eastern regions, where indigenous territories are threatened by the powerful interests of the farming and forestry industries. The lack of access to land and territory perpetuates low levels of human development, social exclusion and other phenomena affecting the majority of indigenous communities.