A/HRC/15/34 chemical products) in the design, implementation and monitoring of chemicals management strategies and policies affecting them. 56. In her mission report to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in November 2009 (A/HRC/13/40/Add.4), the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief focused on beliefs and customs of animists or ancestor worshippers, mainly of members of Lao hill indigenous tribes. While giving an overview of such beliefs and customs, the Special Rapporteur focused on the possible human rights implications of some harmful traditions and cruel practices by these indigenous tribes. 57. During his visit to Australia in November 2009, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health considered, inter alia, the issues related to access to health services of indigenous peoples. The Special Rapporteur assessed the impact of poor socio-economic conditions and neglect and under-resourcing on the enjoyment of the right to health of indigenous peoples. He also considered educational attainment, access to basic amenities, health workforce and political participation, and recent Government initiatives concerning indigenous welfare. 58. The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context addressed the situation of adequate housing of indigenous peoples in some of the countries she visited. In Canada, she addressed the issue of access to land of indigenous peoples and the situation of indigenous women at risk of exploitation by landlords and gangs. In the United States of America, she expressed her concerns about the dire housing situation faced by some Native American tribes. In her follow-up report to country recommendations, she addressed the issue of access to adequate housing and to land of indigenous peoples in Mexico, as well as the situation of indigenous women in rural areas in Peru. Likewise, in another follow-up report to country recommendations (A/HRC/13/20/Add.2), the Special Rapporteur addressed the issue of access to land, water and natural resources of indigenous peoples, and the titling of indigenous lands, in Brazil and Cambodia. Indigenous issued were also examined in her thematic work; the Special Rapporteur’s report on climate change and the right to adequate housing stressed that adaptation assistance must be tailored to ensure that its benefits reach indigenous peoples. 59. The Special Rapporteur on the right to food has made specific references to the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular in relation to access and use of land. In June 2009, he proposed eleven minimum human rights principles applicable to large-scale land acquisitions or leases, one of which is specifically devoted to indigenous peoples (see A/HRC/13/33/Add.2). It provides that “under international law, indigenous peoples have been granted specific forms of protection of their rights to land. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources”. During his missions to Guatemala, Nicaragua and Brazil in September and October 2009, the Special Rapporteur paid particular attention to the rights of indigenous people. In each case, he made specific recommendations to the State party concerned to strengthen the protection of indigenous people's access to land. The Rapporteur has also undertaken a study on the access to land and the right to food, which will be published in his report to the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly. He intends to devote a section of this report to indigenous peoples. 60. During his visit to Paraguay in 2009 (see A/HRC/14/25/Add.2), the Special Rapporteur on the right to education closely examined the situation of education of indigenous peoples and focused, in particular, on the illiteracy rate of indigenous peoples. 12