A/HRC/27/66 provincial and First Nations governments, leading to quick recovery efforts and increased capacity on the part of the First Nations via training and the development of community emergency plans. C. Strategies to improve the participation of indigenous peoples in disaster risk reduction 62. The relationship between disaster risk reduction and the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples is a relatively new area of exploration. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting the participation of indigenous peoples. The Expert Mechanism’s “Final report of the study on indigenous peoples and the right to participate in decision-making” (A/HRC/18/42) suggests a number of good practices by which indigenous peoples may participate in decision-making and stresses that their involvement in the design of the practices is important for success. These practices should be applied to disaster risk reduction. For example, through participative assessments (of both capacities and vulnerabilities) and policymaking processes aimed at combining local knowledge with scientific methods, communities can be empowered to take advantage of their own traditional knowledge to develop integrated strategies that are institutionalized and perhaps even transferred to similar contexts elsewhere. 63. Strategies that aim to improve indigenous peoples’ participation in the process of risk reduction should start by engaging the community in a conversation about how risk reduction concepts (e.g. risk and vulnerability) are understood and defined. These definitions may or may not be consistent with those in common use by disaster professionals, but unless a common understanding is reached on essential concepts, it will be difficult to implement programmes, and attempts to measure success will be frustrated. 64. Advantage should be taken of regional and international initiatives and platforms that recognize, highlight and promote indigenous peoples’ issues, so as to help ensure that indigenous peoples, communities and nations have access to best practices and lessons learned and that the experience and knowledge residing in indigenous communities is recognized by the international community as a valuable contribution to disaster risk reduction. 65. The participation of indigenous peoples is essential in order to ensure the protection and promotion of their rights in disaster risk reduction, prevention and preparedness initiatives. Currently there is a need to engage both indigenous peoples and their nonindigenous counterparts in dialogue aimed at understanding and reducing disaster risks. This involves risks that are unique to indigenous peoples as well as those that they have in common with other groups. 1. Education and awareness-raising 66. One key means of strengthening the participation of indigenous peoples in disaster risk reduction is through education and awareness-raising. Indigenous peoples have the right to receive information to reduce their risk and vulnerability and to protect themselves, their property and their livelihoods. 67. The importance of education as a tool for disaster risk reduction is recognized in the Hyogo Framework for Action, which identified the use of knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels as one of its key priorities for the period from 2005 to 2015. As noted in the Framework, “disasters can be 17