A/HRC/12/32 page 18 stressed the importance of continuing to consult with a variety of stakeholders as future steps are undertaken in the development of these activities. In addition, some Governments provided information on policies and practices focused on the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples including those living in isolation. 66. Mr. Bitaye, Chairperson of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights stated that the African Commission, through its Working Group, had issued an Advisory Opinion demonstrating that the provisions of the then-draft United Nations Declaration were not only consistent with African regional human rights standards on peoples’ rights but were also vital to advance the economic, social and cultural development of many African communities. He further stressed that since the adoption of the Declaration by the General Assembly, in September 2007, the African Commission had taken several measures to encourage its implementation by Member States. 67. Francisco Cali, Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), said that the mission of the Expert Mechanism is extremely important. He went on to speak on the work of CERD as regards indigenous peoples. In particular, he referred to the Committee’s general comment No. 23, which concerns indigenous peoples. In this general comment CERD highlights, inter alia, the importance of recognizing the cultures and religions of indigenous peoples. He concluded by stating that the Declaration is a tool against racial discrimination. 68. The delegations of the following Governments made remarks under agenda item 4: Australia, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Denmark, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of). Representatives of several Governments provided information on their effort to implement the Declaration at the national level, including through institutions devoted to combat discrimination and through improved participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making. In this connection, they highlighted the achievements of effective consultation mechanisms and new representative bodies and other initiatives. Related training and awareness-raising activities were also brought to the attention of the participants by various Governments, including efforts deployed to disseminate the Declaration widely and in indigenous languages. 69. Furthermore, several Governments provided information on legislative developments aimed at contributing to the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and the implementation of the Declaration. The importance of concepts such as sustainable development for indigenous peoples was also underlined by Government delegations. Information was provided on positive practices regarding repatriation, including in terms of returning archaeological artefacts to the indigenous peoples concerned, and measures taken to recognize and adjudicate indigenous peoples rights to lands and resources. 70. Some Governments reported on their recent decisions to endorse the Declaration, and steps undertaken to recognize a specific group as indigenous people were also highlighted. A number of Government delegations opined that, while the Declaration is not binding, it is nevertheless an important policy tool. Similarly, while the Expert Mechanism is not mandated to address individual human rights complaints, it can usefully focus on lessons learned and challenges to be tackled with a view to contributing to the implementation of the Declaration.