A/HRC/30/25
State of Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Libya,
Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Russian
Federation, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania participated in the 2014
indigenous fellowship that took place in Geneva from 16 June to 25 July. These fellows
attended theoretical and practical training sessions on how to use international human rights
instruments and mechanisms to more effectively advocate for and promote the rights of
their respective communities at the international level. In addition, four indigenous fellows
who had participated in the training in Geneva were given the opportunity to enhance their
knowledge and experience by taking part in national or regional fellowships with OHCHR
country offices in the Russian Federation, Guatemala, Mexico and Cameroon. Their active
involvement in and input to the activities of OHCHR were much appreciated, as was their
first-hand knowledge of indigenous issues, which was an asset for the work of OHCHR on
indigenous peoples’ issues. In order to give indigenous people the opportunity to learn
through direct and practical engagement in the activities of OHCHR, the Indigenous
Peoples and Minorities Section continues to organize a Senior Indigenous Fellowship over
a period of four months to provide on-the-job training.
19.
In addition to Headquarters, OHCHR regional and country offices have also run
capacity-building programmes for indigenous peoples. For example, the human rights
adviser in Bangladesh served as a resource for the regional training programme of the AsiaPacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions on indigenous peoples’ rights in
Bangladesh, together with the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission.
20.
The OHCHR country office in the Plurinational State of Bolivia conducted training
activities for numerous indigenous peoples’ organizations that focused on collective rights
and the use of national and international protection mechanisms, and sought to develop
their understanding of the right to consultation. In coordination with the indigenous
university of “Apiaguaiki Tupa”, the office developed the first version of a course entitled
“Rights of indigenous peoples in the universal human rights system and introduction to
cultural expertise”. A second version of the course is currently being taught to a new group
of leaders representing indigenous peoples form the East, Chaco and Amazon regions.
21.
The office in the Plurinational State of Bolivia also organized a joint workshop in
coordination with ILO and the departmental assembly of the Guarani people to inform
indigenous peoples about international and regional human rights mechanisms and to train
them to write communications to these mechanisms.
22.
The OHCHR country office in Colombia held a workshop on the basic concepts of
economic, social and cultural rights with an emphasis on the rights of indigenous peoples
and Afro-Colombian communities. In June 2014, the OHCHR regional office for Central
America in Panama organized training for indigenous youth organizations on the use of
human rights mechanisms, with a view to developing their capacity to submit reports to the
special procedures of the Human Rights Council and the second cycle of the universal
periodic review.
23.
Through the Maya Programme, the office in Guatemala developed several training
courses specifically on the administration of justice, lands and territory and the right to
consultation. The target audience for the courses included the Public Prosecutor’s Office,
the Institute of Public Defence, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. The Office
also supported the Attorney General’s Office in developing a diagnosis tool on access to
justice for indigenous peoples. As a result, the Indigenous Peoples Unit in the Attorney
General’s Office developed an action plan that provided for internal policy reforms and
specialized training for interpreters, and designed an institutional policy focusing on
victims.
5
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