E/CN.4/2002/97 page 29 investigate thoroughly any number of specific cases which have come to his attention and therefore withholds any conclusion regarding such particular communications. He is convinced, however, that given the patterns of situations referred to in the documentation to which he has had access, he would be doing a disservice to his mandate if he did not draw the attention of the Commission to these concerns and their implications for the full and effective protection of the human rights of indigenous people. 103. The issue of land rights is paramount in a number of cases that have come to the attention of the Special Rapporteur, as indicated in communications regarding the Chiquitano people in the lowlands of South America, several Indian tribes in the Amazon region, the Mapuche in southern South America, the Secwepemc on the North-West coast of North America, the Bushmen in southern Africa and the Orang Asli and other indigenous groups in South-East Asia. A disturbing element in a number of instances is the displacement or forced resettlement of indigenous communities as a result of major projects (such as hydroelectric power dams) undertaken by States with international financing in the name of national development. In East Africa, the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and the Maasai pastoralists are facing a State policy of sedentarization which affects several of their economic, social and cultural rights; a similar situation concerns the Bagyeli in central Africa and the Twa in the Great Lakes Region. 104. The vulnerability of land rights is also a problem besetting the Small Peoples in the Arctic regions of Asia, an issue that has been taken up by CERD.44 In these regions, indigenous children face discrimination and other severe problems. In 1999, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed its concern for the living conditions of indigenous peoples in the north of the Russian Federation and their access to health, educational and other social services. The Committee referred to the growing incidence of societal discrimination against children belonging to ethnic minorities, including indigenous peoples, and asked the Government to take all appropriate measures to improve the situation.45 Notwithstanding the extensive rights of Sami people in the Scandinavian countries, Sami women and children still face discrimination. In 2001, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed its concern about the discrimination existing against Sami women.46 105. Indigenous peoples in South-East Asia face loss of control over land and resources due to the non-recognition of customary land rights. In most South-East Asian States there are no legal rules granting indigenous peoples the right to their land and many indigenous peoples are threatened by logging, mining and other exploitative activities or due to infrastructure programmes (dams, roads) pursued by national Governments. In resolution 55/95 on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, the General Assembly, while welcoming the measures taken by the Government to eliminate illicit logging, noted that this activity had “seriously threatened full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by many Cambodians, including indigenous people”.47 106. The ILO handles representations made by indigenous peoples concerning alleged violations of Conventions Nos. 107 and 169. An ILO ad hoc tripartite committee recently found that, in view of the importance of collective ownership of land for certain indigenous and tribal peoples, decisions involving legislative or administrative measures that may affect the land ownership must be taken in consultation with them. When communally owned indigenous lands are divided and assigned to individuals or third parties, this often weakens the exercise of their