A/HRC/12/34 page 20 which company activities will have a significant impact on indigenous communities, it is usually ill-advised for companies to ignore relevant international norms for practical reasons. As the Special Rapporteur has observed in his work, a failure to act in conformity with these norms makes companies vulnerable to difficulties such as lost time and economic resources, and impedes them from attaining or maintaining an image of social responsibility. 57. The Special Rapporteur has observed that many companies lack an adequate understanding of the international human rights norms concerning indigenous peoples that are applicable in the countries in which they conduct business, and that many companies lack a code of conduct that adequately incorporates human rights principles. In order for private companies to meaningfully comply with relevant human rights norms within their respective spheres of influence, it is necessary for them to identify, fully incorporate and make operative the norms concerning the rights of indigenous peoples within every aspect of their work related to the projects they undertake. In addition, as part of its required due diligence, each private company operating in proximity to indigenous peoples should ensure that, through its behaviour, it does not ratify or contribute to any act or omission on the part of the State that could infringe the human rights of the affected communities, such as a failure on the part of the State to adequately consult with the affected indigenous community before proceeding with a project. For its part, the State should, at all times, closely monitor company behaviour to ensure that indigenous peoples’ rights are fully respected, and that required consultations are fully and adequately employed. III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Implementation of the mandate 1. Cooperation with other mechanisms and bodies 58. Coordination with the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is an important aspect of the implementation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. The respective mandates of those three mechanisms, which were created at different times and in response to different moments in the international movement to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, are complementary but also overlapping in certain ways. Ongoing efforts at coordination among the three mechanisms should be strengthened and consolidated into a permanent feature of their work both jointly and separately. 59. Likewise, the Special Rapporteur welcomes opportunities for his cooperation with agencies and programmes throughout the United Nations system, as well as with regional and specialized institutions. This cooperation should continue in order to promote awareness of indigenous issues and programmatic action that is conducive to mainstreaming those issues and to effectively implementing standards of indigenous rights as affirmed in relevant international instruments. 2. Areas of work 60. The Special Rapporteur’s work pursuant to his mandate falls within four interrelated and mutually reinforcing areas: promoting good practices; thematic studies; country reports; and cases of alleged human rights violations, with the latter category being the one

Select target paragraph3