Thank you very much Madam Independent Expert, Excellencies, disinguished experts, ladies and gentlemen. Its my special pleasure to be here this afternoon on behalf of the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples. As you know the expert mechanism is also a subsidiary body of the human rigths council and a little like the forum it provides expert advice and thematic expertise to the council albeit in our case its in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples. As we all know many IPs are also minorities even if there are signficiant different between IP and minorities generally. Espeically in terms of historical experience as well as cultures, religions, and languages. These differences between IPs and minorities are relfeted at the international, policy and legal level. Also in the forum of separate declaration, one for minorities and one for IPs. Despite these differences the political cirumstances of many IPs espeically the state's failure to recongise them as such have meant that some IPs have continued to utilise the declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Provisions in binding human rights treaties focus on the persons belonging to minorities and the minorities discourse to seek the promotionand protection of their rights. There are also many similarities between IPs'rights and minorities rights and many similarities made by the claims made by IPs and minorities in the interational, legal and policy sphere. They include rights and claims made in relation to education, participate in decision making, cultures and languages and access to justice. These are areas on which the expert mechanism has focused or is focusing in the case of access to justice. It has presented reports on the studies on these topics otgether with advise to states to interntional organisations to national human rights institutions and to IPs specifically directed at implementing the UN declaration on the rights of IPs. It is the expert mechanims hope that its studies and advise can support the work of this forum and the independent expert in the implementation on the declaration on persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistics minorities. Indeed, it would be our expectation that our studies and advise would be taken into account when the declaration on minoritiesis interpreted and applied, including our comments for example on the on the states duties to seek to obtain the IPs free prior and informed consent in some circumstances. The exert mechanism is always ready to liaise with you on how to work together to promote and protect the rights of IPs and minorities. Especially their practical implementation and we annually participate in this forum in the hope of fostering such opportunities. In relation to the specific recommendations being considered during the forum, outlined in A/HRC/FMN12012/03, the expert mechanism has the following comments. In relation to paragrpah 6 and its reference to legislative measures to implement the delcaration on the rights of person belonging to minorities, the expert mechansims would like to stress thebenefits of coordination and parternship between UN mandates focused on IPs and minorities to achieve this goal The greater