A/HRC/44/35 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 39/13, the Human Rights Council decided to hold a half-day intersessional interactive dialogue on ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of the Human Rights Council on issues affecting them. The interactive dialogue was held on 15 July 2019, the first day of the twelfth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The present report is submitted pursuant to Council resolution 39/13. 2. The panel discussion was aimed at examining ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of the Council on issues affecting them, and at facilitating dialogue between indigenous peoples’ representatives and Member States, in order to strengthen indigenous peoples’ participation at meetings of the Council. 3. The panel was chaired by the President of the Human Rights Council, Coly Seck, who was subsequently replaced by the Vice-President and Rapporteur of the Council, Vesna Batistić Kos. Opening statements were delivered by the President of the seventythird session of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (via video message), and by the Chief of the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Paulo David. 4. The interactive dialogue opened with presentations by Member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Myrna Cunningham; Mohawk and representative of the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee, Kenneth Deer; Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Terhi Hakala; and Member of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Erika Yamada. 5. The panel discussion was accessible to persons with disabilities and was webcast and recorded.1 II. Opening of the intersessional interactive dialogue 6. The intersessional interactive dialogue was opened by Ms. Espinosa Garcés via video message. She stressed that the issue of indigenous peoples’ rights and their full and effective participation in the United Nations and its mechanisms had been a crucial priority for many years, making reference also to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The issue of indigenous peoples’ participation had been evolving since the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held in 2014, followed by interactive hearings held by the President of the General Assembly. 7. She recalled that Member States and indigenous peoples had held dialogues on that subject, resulting in General Assembly resolution 71/321, in which the Assembly decided to continue its consideration of the issue at its seventy-fifth session. In addition, in the same resolution, the Assembly requested the President of the Assembly, as part of the preparatory process for the consideration of such measures during its seventy-fifth session, to organize and preside over informal interactive hearings and to prepare a summary of each hearing. 8. Ms. Espinosa Garcés further highlighted the involvement in that process of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. 9. Ms. Espinosa Garcés emphasized the need for broad and flexible processes, in order to accommodate various forms of indigenous peoples’ organizations. The diversity of indigenous peoples taking part and the balanced participation of the seven sociocultural regions had to be priorities. She affirmed that the United Nations had to acknowledge that indigenous peoples were not non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and stressed that 1 2 See http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/intersessional-activities/watch/ intersessional-interactive-dialogue-on-indigenous-peoples-human-rights-council/6059360366001.