A/HRC/42/55 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 6/36, the Human Rights Council established the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a subsidiary body to assist the Council in the implementation of its mandate by providing it with thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples, as requested by the Council. In the resolution, the Council established that the thematic expertise would focus mainly on studies and research-based advice, and that the Expert Mechanism might put forward proposals to the Council for its consideration and approval. 2. In September 2016, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 33/25 amending the mandate of the Expert Mechanism to provide the Council with expertise and advice on the rights of indigenous peoples as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to assist Member States, upon request, in achieving the ends of the Declaration through the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the rights of indigenous peoples. The specific elements of the new mandate are set out in the resolution. 3. The Expert Mechanism held its twelfth session in Geneva from 15 to 19 July 2019. The summary of the discussions set out in sections V to XI below is not intended to be a verbatim record, but rather an overview of the main points raised by expert members and other participants. The individual contributions of all participants can be viewed on the webcast of the session.1 4. The Expert Mechanism suspended its meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday 15 July to allow the Human Rights Council to hold an intersessional dialogue on ways to enhance the participation of the representatives and institutions of indigenous peoples in meetings of the Human Rights Council on issues affecting them (pursuant to paragraph 11 of Council resolution 39/13). The Expert Mechanism resumed its session at 5 p.m. on 15 July. II. Intersessional activities 5. Since its eleventh session, held in July 2018, the Expert Mechanism has undertaken several official intersessional activities. In September 2018, it held an interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council at the thirty-ninth session of the Council, as part of the process of submission of its study on the theme of free, prior and informed consent: a human rights-based approach (A/HRC/39/62). On 19 September 2018, the Chair of the Expert Mechanism served as moderator of the annual half-day discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples held by the Human Rights Council, which focused on the participation of indigenous peoples in the development and implementation of strategies and projects in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In January 2019, the Expert Mechanism took part in an expert meeting on conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples convened by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Since 1 May 2019, the focal points on the Steering Committee for the International Year of Languages, Alexey Tsykarev and Kristen Carpenter, have engaged in various activities. 6. The Expert Mechanism held its intersessional meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in November 2018. The meeting comprised a two-day expert seminar on indigenous rights in the context of borders, migration and displacement and a three-day private working meeting of the Expert Mechanism. The Expert Mechanism is grateful to Chiang Mai University for co-organizing and hosting the expert seminar, whose main objective was to obtain substantive input to its study on borders, migration and displacement. The seminar brought together approximately 40 participants, including members of the Expert Mechanism, practitioners from several regions, indigenous human rights advocates, academics and staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 7. The Expert Mechanism took part in the eighteenth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. In addition, several members of the Mechanism engaged with United 1 Available at http://webtv.un.org. 3