INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ‘CUT indicates that the Government of Peru has issued Supreme Decree No. 17-99-AG, of 3 June 1999, which expropriates 111,656 hectares of the ancestral lands belong[ing] to the Country Community of Santo Domingo de Olmos (“the Community”), an indigenous community … The Committee requests the Government to supply information on the efforts made to demarcate the ancestral lands of the Community, including the 111,656 hectares …’ 47 Convention No. 169 has been used to further dialogue during conflicts on a number of occasions. During the peace negotiations between the Government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (URNG), which began in 1987 and culminated in the peace accords including the Agreement on the Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples agreed under UN auspices in 1994, Convention No. 169 provided a basis for discussions. Guatemala ratified the Convention in 1996 as a pre-condition of the accords. In another example, on 16 February 1996, the Government of Mexico and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) signed a peace accord in San Andrés regarding Chiapas using the Convention in the negotiations.48 Mexico was the second country to ratify the Convention in September 1990. Convention No. 169 can also help to orient development assistance for industrialized countries, e.g. Germany and Switzerland. The Netherlands ratified the Convention for this purpose. It has also been used in policy making for indigenous peoples by international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the World Bank in its current revision of its operational guidelines. As the only comprehensive international Convention on indigenous peoples, it has become a reference point for indigenous rights and an important standard-setting Convention in this regard.49 However, it is important to bear in mind that this Convention provides the starting point for indigenous peoples’ rights. NGOs and indigenous peoples should be aware that it serves as a unit of measurement and delineates minimum standards; there is nothing preventing governments from going beyond the parameters of Convention No. 169. For more information on Convention No. 169, contact: Equality and Employment Branch (EGALITE) Standards Department ILO CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland tel: +41 22 799 7115 fax: +41 22 799 6344 e-mail: egalite@ilo.org According to the regular reporting cycle, reports are due under Convention No. 169 in 2003. Then reports are due in 2008, 2013, etc., unless requested earlier. Technical assistance The ILO has two technical cooperation programmes specifically designed for indigenous peoples: • The INDISCO Programme (Inter-Regional Programme to Support Self-reliance of Indigenous and Tribal Communities through Cooperatives and SelfHelp Organizations), which works through cooperatives, revolving loans and other such mechanisms to help indigenous peoples becoming more financially self-sufficient. It has projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America; • The Project to Promote ILO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. This was established in 1996 within the framework of Denmark’s ratification of Convention No. 169 (with funding from the Danish development assistance programme DANIDA). Its main aim is to increase awareness and the application of Convention No. 169, and where applicable Convention No. 107. It operates mainly in Africa and Asia, and to some extent in Latin America. Both these programmes work closely with indigenous organizations and NGOs, as well as with governments. For more information contact: Project to Promote ILO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Equality and Employment Branch (EGALITE) Standards Department ILO Geneva Switerland tel: +41 22 799 7115 fax: +41 22 799 6344 e-mail: egalite@ilo.org and INDISCO Programme Cooperatives Department (COOP) ILO Geneva Switzerland tel: +41 22 799 7445 fax: +41 22 799 8572 e-mail: coop@ilo.org THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION: A HANDBOOK FOR MINORITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 23