A/HRC/32/26
participant asked whether it would be possible for the Expert Mechanism to prepare draft
resolutions that could be presented to the Human Rights Council for consideration.
31.
Several State and indigenous peoples’ representatives called for the Expert
Mechanism to have greater independence and autonomy from the Human Rights Council,
notably with regard to the establishment of priorities and the determination of the themes of
its studies and research. One delegate said that the Council should still be allowed to
request the Expert Mechanism for advice.
32.
Several State representatives were supportive of the thematic studies and expert
advice of the Expert Mechanism. Two delegates emphasized that the studies should be
more in line with the Declaration by, for example, focusing on how to achieve
implementation of certain articles of the Declaration. Several State representatives
encouraged the Expert Mechanism to pay more attention to the collection and
dissemination by States of best practices and lessons learned. One participant said that
studies could be the basis for making interpretations of the Declaration. Not all participants
agreed on the need to pursue studies in the future and one participant suggested reducing or
even discontinuing the preparation of thematic studies, referring to their limited impact at
the country level and considering the possible increase in workload of the Expert
Mechanism stemming from the review of its mandate.
33.
Several participants spoke of the importance of following up on studies and of
providing expert advice through different means, including by offering specific support to
countries and connecting with relevant national authorities.
34.
Several participants suggested preparing an annual global overview or report on the
state of indigenous peoples and identifying good practices and implementation strategies to
achieve the ends of the Declaration, based on voluntary contributions from States. Some
delegates called for the inclusion of a section on best practices in a possible global report
and a focus on multi-country contexts.
35.
One participant suggested preparing a report on progress made in the
implementation of certain rights, rather than a global report on the situation of indigenous
peoples, since civil society organizations were already producing that type of report. One
delegate called for the preparation of advisory reports addressed to interested States, while
two participants highlighted the importance of preparing reports on the implementation of
the Declaration at the national and regional levels and of having country reports.
36.
Several State and indigenous peoples’ representatives called for the Expert
Mechanism to be able to facilitate dialogue between States and indigenous peoples. One
participant said that none of the three mechanisms were explicitly mandated to facilitate
dialogue at the country level and suggested that the dialogue could serve as a channel to
infuse the Declaration and other relevant human rights standards into legal and policy
frameworks at the country level. Another participant said that the Expert Mechanism should
have a role to play in face-to-face discussions between States and indigenous peoples,
particularly on issues related to the impact of extractive industries, violence against
indigenous women, health and cultural rights, the implementation of treaties and
agreements and issues related to land rights and resources. One delegate called for
continued dialogue between States and indigenous peoples during the sessions of the Expert
Mechanism.
37.
The interaction between States and the Expert Mechanism was also discussed.
Several State representatives saw a role for the Expert Mechanism in giving advice,
technical assistance and other support to States upon request, including in relation to
following up on the recommendations of other indigenous-specific mandates and the United
Nations human rights system and by helping States implement the recommendations made
by the treaty bodies. One participant suggested raising awareness of indigenous peoples’
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