A/HRC/42/48 entry points for engagement, a lack of awareness in global governance spaces of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, and a lack of trust in these spaces. 58 58. Regarding the participation of indigenous peoples, a representative of an international NGO defending their rights stressed that what was needed was sustainable involvement of indigenous peoples in decision-making processes, in the exercise of their right to free, prior and informed consent and their right to self-determination. He mentioned the good practice of there being three representatives of indigenous peoples on the steering committee of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020,59 a global public-private partnership hosted by the World Economic Forum that aims to reduce tropical deforestation and in the framework of which indigenous peoples can reportedly engage with companies and Governments to help shape partnerships for sustainable forest solutions. 60 One of those three representatives has, on two occasions, participated as a panellist at the Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. 59. For persons with disabilities, the barriers to participation faced in domestic settings also apply internationally. These include obstacles in the physical environment, inaccessible documents and meeting materials, stigmas and the experience of being overlooked by the powerful. This is despite the existence of international legal provisions obligating States to guarantee the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes that affect them.61 (b) Within engagement groups 60. The Independent Expert was informed by a number of interlocutors of a lack of diversity within some engagement groups, such as Civil 20, as there is reportedly no wide outreach undertaken to engage organizations outside existing formal or informal networks.62 The Independent Expert considers that it is the responsibility of large NGOs to inform smaller ones of opportunities to engage with the global governance spaces, while advising them on how to circumvent to the best extent possible the existing problems linked to participation. There are some notable exceptions, like the G7 Global Task Force, an informal grouping of 170 civil society organizations from across G7 countries and beyond advocating for progressive outcomes from the G7 summits. The Task Force, which operates with modest resources, undertakes important work by amplifying the voices of its members. Its work needs to be supported. 61. Another problem that was brought to the attention of the Independent Expert relates to the lack of independence of some civil society organizations in the participation process. There has been limited continuity about the way in which Civil 20 has functioned in different countries, and as a result the process has been at risk of being heavily controlled by the Government holding the presidency. 63 Host countries that exercise more control over civil society in their domestic contexts appear to attempt to do so when hosting the global governance forums too. For instance, during a previous G20 presidency, the secretariat of Civil 20 was reportedly staffed by a civil society group that reported to the high-level diplomatic officials of the host country. A similar situation occurred at the G7 level with a civil society representative working for the G7 presidency. In the framework of another G20 presidency, the Civil 20 Summit, convened by two local NGOs, was held without consultations with international civil society organizations, and the host Government reportedly did not allow many civil society groups within or outside the country to attend the summit. 62. It is understood that similar issues have occurred in the framework of Civil BRICS in those countries. Furthermore, in the context of the South African BRICS presidency in 58 59 60 61 62 63 14 See the submission by the International Lesbian and Gay Association. See www.tfa2020.org/en/about-tfa/governance. According to Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator, Association des femmes peules autochtones du Tchad (see www.tfa2020.org/en/press-release-tfa-2020-appoints-new-director). See article 4 (3) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. See the submission by Amnesty International. Ibid.