A/67/301 on Monuments and Sites and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, to review current procedures and capacity to ensure free, prior and informed consent and the protection of the livelihoods and tangible and intangible heritage of indigenous peoples (E/2011/43E/C.19/2011/14, para. 41). In addition, in its resolution 4.048, adopted at its fourth session in 2008, the IUCN World Conservation Congress resolved to apply the requirements of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to all of its programmes and operations and called on Governments to work with indigenous peoples’ organizations to ensure that protected areas which affect or may affect the lands, territories and other resources of indigenous peoples are not established without their free, prior and informed consent and to ensure due recognition of their rights in existing protected areas. 39. In October 2011, the Special Rapporteur met with representatives of UNESCO programmes that are relevant to indigenous peoples. He observed during the meeting a willingness to improve the World Heritage nominations procedure related to indigenous communities and to explore methods for doing so. However, UNESCO representatives raised the issue of the limitations of their technical, human and financial resources for carrying out consultations with all affected indigenous peoples for all sites that have been nominated, as well as the political challenges they often face in this regard, including a lack of cooperation by Governments. 40. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the Special Rapporteur has heard of positive examples of participation by indigenous peoples in the declaration and management of World Heritage sites, which demonstrate that these challenges can be overcome, at least in certain contexts. In one example, he learned about the designation of the Laponian area in northern Sweden as a World Heritage site, which the Sami people actively supported. He also notes as an example of good practice, the designation of Taos Pueblo in the United States as a World Heritage site, which was proposed by the Taos people themselves. In the view of the Special Rapporteur, proposals for the declaration of World Heritage sites that directly affect indigenous peoples should come from those peoples, something that the States parties to the World Heritage Convention and United Nations agencies should promote. UNESCO policy on indigenous peoples 41. A potential tool for addressing concerns regarding the declaration and management of World Heritage sites lies in the anticipated, but not as yet developed, UNESCO policy on indigenous peoples. In October 2011, the Special Rapporteur and members of the Permanent Forum and the Expert Mechanism participated in a meeting at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, at which the organization launched its work to develop a policy on indigenous peoples. In a statement at the launch the Special Rapporteur emphasized that UNESCO programming, just as that of other United Nations agencies which touch upon the interests of indigenous peoples, must at a minimum be consistent with the relevant international standards, as well as with applicable national laws and policies. 42. Ideally, however, UNESCO programming would do more than avoid harm to indigenous peoples, but would actively support their rights, as it already has in numerous instances and through numerous programmes. The Special Rapporteur 12-46087 11