A/HRC/4/77 page 11 indigenous people. OHCHR is currently increasing its focus on discrimination issues through support to NGOs by providing them with monitoring tools. OHCHR has also advised the Office of the Ombudsman on drafting legislation and on creating a national action plan against discrimination. A module on the rights of indigenous peoples has been included in the training provided to United Nations human rights country teams. Given the importance of land issues, and especially in areas which are rich in natural resources, OHCHR in Colombia is preparing a technical cooperation project documenting cases of disputes and seeking, through the relevant governmental ministries, respect for the principle of informed consent prior to development projects affecting the community. 32. The technical cooperation programme for indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru (the Andean programme) has realized a number of activities in Ecuador including human rights training and preparations for the visit of the Special Rapporteur (from 25 April to 5 May 2006), through publications and the organization of meetings as well as cooperation with the office of the human rights Ombudsman and civil society partners. The Andean programme has ensured a human rights approach to indigenous issues in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office, where OHCHR was instrumental in establishing an inter-agency group on indigenous peoples and afro-descendants, initiating a paid internship for an indigenous person, and bringing to a successful conclusion the participatory mechanism for indigenous organizations with UNDP/United Nations Country Team (UNCT). The Ecuador office also recruited a former member of the OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme as a consultant, in line with OHCHR policy of employing indigenous experts whenever possible, and in particular former Fellowship Programme members. During 2007, the focus of the Andean programme will be in Bolivia where OHCHR is finalizing the opening of an office. OHCHR has also initiated, in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regional office, and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), a study on best practices and obstacles regarding the implementation of the thematic recommendations of the Special Rapporteur in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. The study will also pay particular attention to the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women concerning indigenous women and children in these countries. The study, which is expected to be concluded in 2007, aims at promoting the mainstreaming of the recommendations of human rights mechanisms in policymaking and United Nations programming, including the Millennium Development Goals. 33. During 2006, the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean strengthened contacts with several indigenous peoples’ organizations and supported the seminar “Globalization, human rights and indigenous peoples”, held in Santiago on 28-29 November 2006. Moreover, the Regional Office included the follow-up of the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur in the Action 2 inter-agency project which is to be implemented during 2007 by the United Nations Country Team in Chile (Strengthening the capacity of UNCT Chile to promote and protect human rights). 34. OHCHR assisted the Government of the Republic of the Congo jointly with ILO to organize consultations to draft a new law on indigenous peoples. The draft law draws on ILO Convention 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples and the draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples and is scheduled to be presented to the Parliament at its next session.