A/HRC/15/37
I. Introduction
1.
The present report is submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous
people, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/12.
2.
The first part of the report presents a summary of the activities carried out by the
Special Rapporteur pursuant to his mandate. In the second part of the report, the Special
Rapporteur presents an analysis of corporate responsibility in relation to respect for the
human rights of indigenous peoples, in the framework of existing international standards.
The report also presents the activities and evaluations carried out by the Special Rapporteur
within his areas of work (see paragraphs 10 to 25).
3.
The Special Rapporteur is grateful for the support provided by the staff at the United
Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He would also like to thank
the staff and researchers of the Special Rapporteur support programme at the University of
Arizona for their ongoing assistance with all aspects of his work. Further, he would like to
thank the many indigenous peoples, Governments, United Nations bodies and agencies,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and others that have cooperated with him over
the past year in the implementation of his mandate. The Special Rapporteur would, lastly,
like to thank the NGOs Kreddha and UNESCO-Catalunya for their support in the
preparation of the present report.
II. Summary of activities
A.
Cooperation with other global and regional mechanisms and bodies
4.
During the second year of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur continued his
cooperation with the other United Nations system mechanisms dealing with the theme of
indigenous peoples, in particular, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, pursuant to the
mandate of the Human Rights Council.1
5.
As part of his efforts to coordinate and cooperate with those mechanisms, in January
2010, the Special Rapporteur participated in a meeting in New York together with
representatives of the Permanent Forum and the Expert Mechanism. At that meeting
information was exchanged concerning the respective working agendas, and ways of
channelling their different activities and making them more effective were discussed.
6.
With a view to assisting the Expert Mechanism in its work, the Special Rapporteur
participated, together with members of the Expert Mechanism, in a regional consultation in
Thailand in January 2010, organized by the NGO Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. At the
meeting, the Special Rapporteur presented his contribution to the study that the Expert
Mechanism is currently conducting on indigenous peoples’ right to participation.
7.
During the past year, the Special Rapporteur has also endeavoured to coordinate
efforts with other human rights bodies in the United Nations system. To that end, he
participated in meetings in Trinidad and Tobago, in December 2009, convened by the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and in Thailand, in
1
GE.10-15075
Human Rights Council resolution 6/12, para. 1 (e).
3