A/HRC/18/35 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples pursuant to his mandate under Council resolution 15/14. In the report, the Special Rapporteur provides a summary of the activities carried since his previous report to the Council (A/HRC/15/37). He then identifies and analyses the issues relating to extractive industries operating on or near indigenous lands. 2. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges with gratitude the assistance provided by the Support Project for the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples at the University of Arizona College of Law. This assistance was indispensable for the preparation of the report and the addenda thereto, and for carrying out the work reflected in these reports. He is also thankful to the many indigenous peoples, States, United Nations bodies and agencies and non-governmental organizations that cooperated with him over the past year in the implementation of his mandate. II. Summary of activities A. Cooperation with international mechanisms and bodies 3. The Special Rapporteur continued to implement his mandate while cooperating with the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as mandated by the Human Rights Council in its resolutions 6/12 and 15/14. As in past years, he attended the annual sessions of the Permanent Forum, in May 2011, and of the Expert Mechanism, in July 2011, and participated in discussions of issues that are under consideration by them. In particular, he contributed to the study of the Expert Mechanism on the right of indigenous peoples to participation and provided comments relevant to the review of the Permanent Forum of its priorities and working methods during its previous session. 4. Additionally, during the annual sessions of the above mechanisms, the Special Rapporteur continued his practice of holding parallel meetings with indigenous peoples and organizations, which provided him with an invaluable opportunity to meet with representatives of indigenous peoples and organizations to learn of specific situations and concerns, in a manner complementing the more general discussions of indigenous issues by the Permanent Forum and Expert Mechanism during their annual sessions. 5. In July 2011, as on previous occasions, the Special Rapporteur met with the members of the Expert Mechanism and representatives of the Permanent Forum in Geneva to share work agendas, discuss the strengths and limitations of their respective mandates and explore methods for most effectively carrying out their work. 6. The Special Rapporteur moreover continued to combine efforts with a range of United Nations, regional and specialized bodies on matters concerning indigenous peoples. Over the past year, the Special Rapporteur has provided observations on initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Finance Corporation of the Word Bank Group, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the PanAmerican Health Organization. This work relates to the Special Rapporteur’s efforts to promote good practices (see paragraphs 8 – 14 below). 7. The Special Rapporteur continued to exchange information with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on cases of alleged violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas in an attempt to ensure coordinated efforts and to avoid unnecessary duplication. 4