A/HRC/10/51 page 6 Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The committees pointed out the need for conducting a national census of indigenous peoples and applying the principle of self-identification in census methodology. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination also has the opinion that States parties, when considering the question of indigenous peoples at the national level, could define and further reflect on the concept of indigenous peoples in relation to its understanding in international law by taking into account the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, together with International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169 concerning the Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (CERD/C/ECU/CO/19, CERD/C/NIC/CO/14, CERD/C/FJI/CO/17 and CERD/C/USA/CO/6). The Committee has further noted the role of the Declaration as a normative reference by indicating that the Declaration could be used as a guide to interpret the State party’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination as far as it relates to indigenous peoples (see CERD/C/USA/CO/6). 17. Civil status registration is also an issue regularly mentioned by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Human Rights Committee. In their concluding observations (CRC/C/HND/CO/3, CEDAW/C/PER/CO/6 and CCPR/C/PAN/CO/3), the committees stressed that the immediate registration of births of all children, in particular from indigenous communities, is a priority. With regard to this issue, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in its concluding observations to Paraguay (E/C.12/PRY/CO/3), welcomed the progress made in extending the coverage of civil status registration to indigenous communities. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women pointed out the specific situation of women who cannot exercise their rights due to the fact that they do not have any documentation registering their birth. 18. With specific reference to article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,2 the Committee on the Rights of the Child held, in 2003, a day of general discussion on the rights of indigenous children that identified many challenges for the safety and well-being of indigenous children. During the period under review, the Committee on the Rights of the Child worked further on drafting a general comment on the rights of indigenous children, and consulted with civil society, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, ILO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The general comment is expected to be adopted in 2009. 19. Finally, several treaty bodies have encouraged States parties to disseminate their reports of treaty bodies with recommendations (CCPR/C/CRI/CO/5, CCPR/C/BWA/CO/1, CCPR/C/PAN/CO/3, CRC/C/CHL/CO/3 and CAT/C/MEX/CO/4) in indigenous languages. 2 Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that, in States in which ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion or to use his or her own language.