A/HRC/15/37/Add.5 region, and that the Government is committed to finding solutions to the concerns of the affected communities. B. Political participation, consultation and self-governance 52. Indigenous peoples have the right to participate fully in the political life of the State, and to participate in decision-making in matters that would affect their rights, including, but not limited to, the right to free, prior and informed consent in legislative and administrative measures that may affect them.10 Additionally, as a part of their right to self-determination, they have the right to self-government in matters relating to their internal affairs and the right to maintain and develop their own decision-making institutions.11 In the context of the Russian Federation, these entitlements relate to indigenous political representation at the federal and regional levels, and to autonomous governance at the local and community level. 53. Several factors, in addition to the small size of their populations, impede the ability of indigenous peoples in Russia to engage in effective political participation. Indigenous people live in remote areas, far from urban centres and from each other, without easy access to transportation or means of communication, and live in small, often single-family, groups. Additionally, the traditional indigenous leadership structures were severely damaged in the 1940s as a result of the Soviet regime’s anti-insurgency activities and the subsequent totalitarian regime. Compounding these factors is that in many places negative attitudes and stereotypes about indigenous people appear to persist, making indigenous identity a liability in political processes. 54. Federal officials assured the Special Rapporteur that when federal executive bodies make critical decisions affecting the interests of indigenous people they seek the participation of indigenous representatives; they have further stated that the cooperation between federal governing authorities and indigenous associations is regarded as one of the priorities of the national policy of Russia. Consultations with indigenous peoples on legislation affecting them are not legally secured, however, and consist mainly of extending opportunities for indigenous representatives to participate in consultative working groups whenever such groups are created to review new legislation. 55. Currently, the policy areas that affect indigenous peoples are dealt with by various ministries and departments without any strategic coordination focused on indigenous issues or direct indigenous representative participation. Federal policy and social programmes are developed by the Ministry of Regional Development, fishing policies and regulations are developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, while hunting is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture; further, according to close observers, most legislative processes occur with no consideration of, or expertise on, indigenous issues. 56. While in many parts of the Russian Federation indigenous peoples remain underrepresented in executive and legislative bodies, some regional governments have shown sensitivity to the factors affecting indigenous peoples’ ability to fully participate in political processes at the regional level, and have attempted to facilitate and ensure such participation in various ways. For example, in 1996 the Khanti-Mansiysky Autonomous Region was the first region in the new Russian Federation, only two years after its formation, to formalize representation of indigenous peoples through legislation by statutorily creating the Assembly of Indigenous Peoples as a part of the structure of the 10 11 14 Articles 5, 18 and 19 of the Declaration. Articles 2, 3, 4, 5 and 18 of the Declaration. GE.10-14779