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Government officials. The Office has further distributed the Declaration and related United
Nations documents to various stakeholders, including judges of the Constitutional Court,
with the aim of increasing their knowledge about the protection of indigenous peoples.
47.
In October 2010, OHCHR Colombia participated in a training programme for senior
legal officers of the military and conducted a special session on the fundamental rights and
freedoms of indigenous peoples. In this context, the Office addressed specific concerns
with respect to military actions and the rights of indigenous peoples, with a particular focus
on the use of lands, territories and natural resources, and the principle of free, prior and
informed consent. Issues raised also included the risks of forced displacement due to
military presence and actions, restrictions to freedom of movement and protection of
indigenous peoples from illegal armed groups.
48.
In the context of the Maya programme, OHCHR Guatemala concluded the first
phase of the technical training programme for strategic human rights litigation for
indigenous peoples’ rights, which was attended by 32 students and 24 representatives of
indigenous peoples’ organizations. A total of 12 technical programmes for strategic
litigation (on consultation, natural resources, land, non-discrimination and cultural rights)
were designed and completed by students. Training programmes have been initiated for the
second group.
49.
OHCHR Guatemala also organized a two-day workshop with 54 indigenous leaders
from the Latin America region to exchange experiences about the protection of indigenous
peoples’ collective rights in the context of exploitation of natural resources.
50.
The Office in Mexico organized a regional forum on the theme, “Rights to
consultation: the impact of development projects on rights to lands, territories and natural
resources” on 27 and 28 May 2010, in Oaxaca de Juárez. Indigenous peoples’ organizations
from the States of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas and Veracuz shared their experiences on
defending their rights in the context of large-scale development projects. The Office made
presentations on international standards, with a specific focus on the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
51.
The OHCHR Regional Office for Central America supported the National
Coordination Organization, which represents seven indigenous peoples in Panama in their
advocacy to seek ratification of ILO Convention No. 169 by providing capacity-building
training in several provinces and indigenous territories on the content of the Convention. As
a result, the Ministry of the Interior assembled a working group to study the matter; during
the universal periodic review, the Government of Panama made a voluntary pledge to
consider adhering to ILO Convention No. 169.
52.
The Regional Office for Central America also initiated training activities to facilitate
the use of human rights bodies by indigenous peoples’ and organizations. With support
from OHCHR Headquarters, the Office designed a programme to strengthen the capacities
of Coodinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indíginas de Panamá on the basis of a methodology
designed for trainers on the international human rights framework (the Declaration, the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other
international human rights instruments) to enhance interaction with United Nations human
rights mechanisms. The Office also worked in close coordination with the United Nations
country teams in Panama and El Salvador to ensure that indigenous peoples’ concerns were
taken into account during the elaboration of the Common Country Assessment and the
United Nations Development Assistance Framework.
53.
On 4 and 5 May 2010, the Regional Office for South America participated in an
international seminar in Lima on the theme, “The duty of States to consult with indigenous
peoples in Peru and Latin America”, organized by a group of indigenous peoples’
organizations, the national human rights coordinator, Oxfam and Agencia Española de
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