A/HRC/30/25
Okavango Delta in the World Heritage List of UNESCO, encouraged the Government to
closely consult with indigenous peoples.
69.
At the third Forum on Business and Human Rights, held in December 2014, during a
session on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and United Nations
human rights mechanisms, the impact of trade and investment agreements on indigenous
peoples was flagged as an area where the Working Group on the issue of human rights and
transnational corporations and other business enterprises could compliment the work of the
Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. Furthermore, some sessions at the
Forum focused on access to justice and reparations for indigenous peoples in the context of
business operations and extractive industries.
C.
Treaty bodies
70.
During the reporting period, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination expressed concern and made recommendations in relation to indigenous
peoples. Under the early warning and urgent action procedure, the Committee sent a letter
of concern to the Russian Federation, while under the follow-up procedure it sent follow-up
letters to Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and the Russian Federation. At its eighty-fifth
session, the Committee raised issues on indigenous peoples and made recommendations to
Cameroon, El Salvador, Japan, Peru and the United States of America. At its eighty-sixth
session, the Committee made recommendations on the rights of indigenous peoples in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Guatemala and the Sudan. Concluding observations of
the Committee during these sessions included issues such as the rights to identity, selfidentification and recognition of indigenous peoples, the lack of disaggregated data and
lack of socioeconomic indicators pertaining to indigenous peoples, the inadequacies in legal
frameworks and the structural discrimination affecting indigenous peoples. Other
observations focused on participation in political and public life, discrimination within the
criminal justice system, labour market and stereotyping of indigenous peoples, as well as
incidents of hate speech. The situation of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, free
prior and informed consent and the land rights of indigenous peoples were also raised.
71.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights highlighted the rights of
indigenous peoples to recognition and self-identification, and to seek free prior and
informed consent on decisions affecting them and their lands. On many occasions, the
Committee made reference to the Declaration and the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
Convention, 1989 (No. 169) as it considered reports of El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia,
Nepal and Paraguay. The Committee also raised questions concerning indigenous peoples
and sent a list of issues to States parties, including Burundi, Canada, Chile, Finland, France,
Guyana, Iraq, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Thailand, Uganda and Viet Nam. The main
questions raised by the Committee related to recognition of indigenous peoples, land rights,
consultation, non-discrimination, poverty, education and cultural rights. The Committee
also met with the Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to
discuss areas of common interest in view of the fourteenth session of the Permanent Forum,
dedicated to economic, social and cultural rights.
72.
The Committee against Torture considered the reports of Australia, Colombia and
New Zealand. In its concluding observations, it highlighted that violence against women
affected indigenous women disproportionately and urged national authorities to take
additional measures to address it. The Committee also requested information from States
parties concerning indigenous peoples through the list of issues prior to reporting from
Canada, Gabon, Japan and Mexico.
13
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