A/HRC/15/36 in which indigenous peoples engage State and non-State actors, particularly challenges in asserting the right to participate in decision-making processes that are usually outside their control. Ms. Lasimbang underscored, inter alia, that parliamentary representation is both practically and symbolically particularly important for indigenous communities. Parliamentary representation has improved over recent years because of increasing political awareness of indigenous peoples or of special measures. However, she also pointed to many challenges, including the lack of leadership influence enjoyed by indigenous representatives. 39. Ms. Lasimbang further noted that indigenous peoples worldwide are struggling to maintain control over their lands and many decisions connected to development projects drastically affecting indigenous peoples rights are taken without consultation or implementation of the principles of free prior and informed consent. Many non-political associations are formed to advance indigenous interests at both local and international forums but challenges in gaining recognition from States and ensuring full and effective participation in such forums persist. She concluded that while there are a number of positive steps that have been taken regarding indigenous participation in external decisionmaking processes, progress is not uniform and still requires serious attention. A gap exists between formal legislative intent and the implementation of those rights in practice. 40. After the presentation, the Chairperson-Rapporteur invited other participants to comment on the draft progress report and to provide concrete suggestions to improve it under agenda item 3. Several States, including Australia, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Finland, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand and Norway, took the floor commending the Expert Mechanism for its progress report, which they saw as a good basis for the preparation of the final study. A number of States provided information on the state of implementation of the right to participate in decision-making in their respective countries and made proposals as to further development of the study, including through additional examples of positive practices that exist at different levels of decision-making. 41. Mr. Mamani, Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues commended the progress report by stressing the key importance of the right to participate in decisionmaking in the realization of the collective and individual rights of indigenous peoples. Mr. Mamani recommended that the Expert Mechanism consider in further detail the challenges for the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular in relation to participatory and decision-making mechanisms. He further provided information on the work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, in particular in relation to the issue of development with culture and identity, linked to articles 3 and 32 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He went on to comment on the achievements made in terms of indigenous peoples participating in bodies in the United Nations through such bodies as the Expert Mechanism and the Permanent Forum. He also referred to the development of policies and participative mechanisms in various intergovernmental institutions. Despite these positive developments, the Chairperson of the Permanent Forum stressed that progress is still needed, in particular in achieving meaningful participation through well established consultative mechanisms. 42. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people noted that the progress report of the Expert Mechanism aptly identifies relevant provisions of various international instruments, including the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ILO Convention No. 169, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as regional human rights instruments, including the American Convention on Human Rights. In this regard he recalled that a number of basic human rights principles underpin the right to participation and inform its content. Without being exhaustive, these include the right to self- 11