A/HRC/27/64 of the General Assembly, also participated, from New York via videoconference, during the agenda item on the World Conference. B. Documentation 16. The Expert Mechanism had before it the provisional agenda for the seventh session (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/1), the annotated agenda (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/1/Add.1) as prepared by OHCHR, the follow-up study on access to justice in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/3/Rev.1), the study on the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples in disaster risk reduction initiatives (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/2), and the report summarizing the responses to the questionnaire seeking the views of States and of indigenous peoples on the implementation of the Declaration (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/4). 17. The Expert Mechanism also had before it the following conference room papers: “Compilation of conclusions and recommendations from the United Nations seminars on treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements” (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/CRP.1), “Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the World Indigenous Nations (WIN) Games” (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/CRP.2), and “Compilation of references to indigenous women and girls in reports and advice of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1st to 6th sessions)” (A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/CRP.3). C. Opening of the session 18. International Chief Wilton Littlechild, Chair of the Expert Mechanism, opened the seventh session of the Expert Mechanism. He introduced the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Flavia Pansieri, and the President of the Human Rights Council, Baudelaire Ndong Ella, who made opening remarks. 19. The Deputy High Commissioner drew attention to the importance of the Expert Mechanism’s thematic studies on access to justice and disaster risk reduction. She emphasized that the implementation of the Declaration was an ongoing challenge, and that even though its standards were often overlooked, there were many positive practices at the national level that should be replicated. She also described some highlights of OHCHR’s work to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, including initiatives in Cambodia and Guatemala to facilitate access to justice for indigenous peoples. 20. The Deputy High Commissioner underlined the importance of an inclusive World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, with strong engagement by indigenous peoples, and expressed her hope that the World Conference would lead to concrete measures to improve the implementation of the Declaration, for example via more action plans and strategies for national-level implementation. 21. In his opening statement, the President of the Human Rights Council recognized the work of the Expert Mechanism and noted that its studies and advice had been well received by the Council and had positively contributed to the efforts to further the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. He expressed his gratitude to the Expert Mechanism for the two studies being presented at the seventh session. He noted that the Council attached high importance to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He emphasized that the Council had continuously called for the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples during the preparatory process of the World Conference, and for the studies and advice of the Expert Mechanism to be considered in that preparatory process. 7