A/HRC/9/11 Page 2 Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, in its decision 2/102, requested the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfilment of their activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to update the relevant reports and studies”. The present interim report provides information about some of the activities undertaken under the aegis of the Office within the last 18 months to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. The report by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people is contained in document A/HRC/9/9. I. DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 2. Since the adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Office has undertaken activities aimed at promoting the wide dissemination, understanding and implementation of the Declaration. In cooperation with the International Labour Office, it convened a meeting of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples Issues on 26 and 27 February 2008 to discuss integration of the Declaration into United Nations programmes and policies. A communications strategy has been developed within the Office, products of which include a pocket-sized version of the Declaration in all United Nations languages, a poster for promotion of the Declaration, a short film clip for use by the Office for public information, and a booklet for the general reader on the main provisions of the new instrument. These publications will be available in the course of the year. Briefings on the Declaration have been given at the Annual Meeting of Special Procedure mandate holders in June 2008 and to several of the treaty bodies. The Office has also developed a comparative review of the Declaration and the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization. The OHCHR field presences have been active in promoting the Declaration; the Nepal office, for example, has produced a version in the Nepali language. The Office also plans to prepare a manual on the Declaration for policymakers giving explanations of each of its provisions that would be available early in 2009. II. EXPERT MECHANISM ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 3. The first session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will meet from 1 to 3 October 2008. The five members of the Expert Mechanism appointed by the President of the Council are: John Henriksen (Norway), Jannie Lasimbang (Malaysia), José Mencio Molintas (Philippines), José Carlos Morales Morales (Costa Rica) and Catherine Odimba Kombe (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The mandate of the new body is to assist the Human Rights Council in the implementation of its mandate by providing thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples in the manner and form requested by the Council. The thematic expertise will focus mainly on studies and research-based advice. The Expert Mechanism may also suggest proposals to the Council for its consideration and approval. The provisional agenda of the session is available on the website of the Office.