A/HRC/33/56 39. A number of States supported a new category of representation for indigenous peoples. There were differing views about the possible membership requirements, such as whether it should include only indigenous governments or whether there should be more flexibility in the process. The need to further consult indigenous peoples while keeping up the momentum was identified. Indigenous participants generally supported the need to ensure greater indigenous participation in the United Nations and acknowledged the work of the advisors. 40. In closing, the advisors outlined the current challenges to the process, highlighting the need for a consensus outcome based on engagement, flexibility and a spirit of compromise. Chief Littlechild encouraged that leadership in his closing remark that now was the time to be bold. V. Panel discussion on the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous persons with disabilities 41. Mr. Mansayagan opened the panel discussion by welcoming the participants and introducing the panellists. He drew attention to the Expert Mechanism’s work on the subject, including most recently in its draft study on indigenous peoples and the right to health. He acknowledged the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples for co-convening an expert meeting on that theme, with support from the International Labour Office and OHCHR. 42. Olga Montúfar, Director of Fundación Paso a Paso in Mexico, emphasized the importance of ensuring equality of conditions and opportunities for indigenous persons with disabilities. She underlined the importance of both the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a legal framework to guide States, indigenous peoples and other stakeholders in implementing the rights of indigenous persons with disabilities. She emphasized that the lack of data on that population was a serious challenge and called for harmonized approaches to capturing data on indigenous persons with disabilities, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also emphasized that indigenous persons with disabilities must participate in all decision-making on matters that affected them. She identified the following steps forward: the promotion of autonomy of that population group; the need for more research and data; and, most importantly, the development of a global plan to address the situation of indigenous persons with disabilities to ensure they could be fully included in the development of their communities and countries. 43. The Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities highlighted the exclusion, marginalization and discrimination faced by indigenous persons with disabilities. She provided an overview of the expert meeting on indigenous persons with disabilities, which had addressed the international human rights framework, including individual and collective rights. She highlighted the need to apply an indigenous lens to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a disability lens to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She highlighted the need for direct participation of indigenous persons with disabilities, through increased financial support from the United Nations system and appropriate, non-discriminatory services. Evidence, research and data must be participatory and human rights-based. The Expert Mechanism was called upon to take a leadership role in providing conceptual guidance on overcoming challenges, such as ensuring that the national action plans called for by the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples were inclusive of indigenous persons with disabilities and facilitating the development of a network on that issue. 11