A/HRC/27/52/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. This report examines the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Panama and makes recommendations in that regard on the basis of information gathered by the Special Rapporteur during his visit to the country from 19 to 26 July 2013 and independent research. 2. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur held a series of meetings in Panama City with various representatives of the Government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Development, the National Land Management Agency, the National Environment Agency, the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, the Electoral Court, the Office of the Attorney General and the Ombudsman’s Office. The Special Rapporteur also met with representatives of indigenous peoples and civil society in Panama City and held meetings with representatives of the Bribri, Kuna, Emberá, Naso, Ngobe and Wounaan peoples in the Ngobe-Bugle and Kuna Yala indigenous regions (comarcas) and in the collective territory of the Emberá people. 3. The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank the Government of Panama for its cooperation and its readiness to allow him to conduct his visit and hold discussions with indigenous representatives freely and openly. He also wishes to thank the Panama offices of the United Nations system for their cooperation, the Regional Office for Central America of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for its invaluable help in making the preparations for the visit and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva for its assistance in drafting this report. Lastly, he wishes to express his gratitude to the indigenous peoples of Panama, in particular their authorities and members of their general congresses, for inviting him to their territories, for showing him such hospitality and for sharing their stories, concerns and hopes with him. II. The indigenous peoples of Panama 4. Over the course of his mission, and especially during his visit to indigenous territories, the Special Rapporteur was able to observe the cultural diversity of the indigenous peoples of Panama, which can be seen in the customs, languages and other cultural expressions which they have preserved. It is clear that the indigenous peoples of Panama are proud of their indigenous identity and wish to continue preserving and strengthening all aspects of their cultures. 5. The preservation of these cultures is largely attributable to the system of indigenous comarcas, in which indigenous peoples have exclusive rights over their lands and enjoy considerable autonomy over internal matters. All indigenous peoples of Panama, except the Naso and Bribri, have comarcas that have been established under the corresponding legal regime. Taken together, the indigenous comarcas account for 22.2 per cent of the country’s area, or 16,634 km2. As discussed below (section IV, subsection B), these indigenous peoples have a high degree of autonomy and a certain degree of control over the use of renewable and non-renewable resources within these areas, although concerns remain in this regard (see section IV, subsection A). GE.14-07234 3