A/HRC/27/52 with the mainstream society is minimal. Such invisibility hampers the ability of indigenous peoples to access national communications or the media, and to have their voices heard in decision-making centres, and can result in non-indigenous people speaking for them or making decisions on their behalf or in spite of them. 39. Other kinds of distorted views about indigenous peoples demonstrate a lack of understanding of why and how indigenous peoples’ rights should be protected. Certainly, there are still many among the non-indigenous population who hold the view that indigenous peoples should just join the mainstream, or that they should “get over” their pasts and “move on”. In that connection, indigenous peoples may be viewed as receiving special entitlements and privileges not enjoyed by the rest of the population, resulting in feelings of resentment among the broader society. Even if those views may not be outwardly pernicious, they can inhibit the development of differentiated rights protection and affirmative action measures that are needed for remedying ongoing situations of marginalization and ensuring that indigenous peoples can survive as distinct peoples. 40. Finally, the Special Rapporteur has also seen examples of indigenous peoples’ interests being viewed as standing in opposition to those of the mainstream. This is especially true in the context of natural resource development. Rather than focusing attention on addressing the concerns raised by indigenous peoples in the context of specific projects, public figures and others instead portray indigenous peoples as “blocking” projects that could bring economic benefits to the country as a whole, or as having some ideological or categorical opposition to natural resource development. In those situations, rather than the interests of the State and the broader society being considered as encompassing indigenous peoples’ interests, indigenous peoples are perceived as posing an impediment to national interests. Of course, such perceptions add to a climate that is not conducive to governmental and public support for the promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples. 41. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in various articles, promotes as one of its central themes the elimination of discrimination against indigenous peoples. In particular, article 15 provides that “States shall take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation with the indigenous peoples concerned, to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society”. Shifting attitudes and entrenched perceptions is no easy task, but it can be assisted to a great extent by increasing indigenous peoples’ participation in decision-making, through widespread education and awareness-raising programmes and, perhaps obviously, by governments themselves demonstrating a commitment to the implementation of indigenous peoples’ rights. The Special Rapporteur notes that the United Nations system can contribute to these efforts. E. Social and economic conditions 42. The nearly universal disadvantageous social and economic conditions of indigenous peoples as compared to the majority of the population in the societies in which they live present barriers to the full exercise of their human rights. Unless indigenous peoples enjoy certain minimum conditions of well-being, they will be unable to truly thrive with their rights intact. According to many different indicators, indigenous peoples fare worse than their non-indigenous counterparts in terms of their development, including with regard to levels of poverty, education, health, unemployment, housing conditions, clean water and sanitation. 43. Certainly, a number of countries in which indigenous peoples live face enormous developmental challenges and indigenous peoples may be one group among many within a 13