A/HRC/21/23
(f)
Congo (UNICEF (lead partner), ILO, UNDP, UNFPA and OHCHR) to support
implementation of the national law on indigenous peoples along with advocacy for ratification
of ILO Convention No. 169;
(g)
South-East Asia (UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (lead partner) and
OHCHR) to support the Regional Indigenous Peoples’ Programme, with a focus on review of
laws, and national/regional dialogues on land rights and natural resources related to indigenous
peoples.
B.
Capacity-building
9.
Following broad consultations, OHCHR revised the format of its Indigenous Fellowship
Programme. In the past, the Indigenous Fellowship Programme consisted of four distinct
linguistic components (i.e. English, French, Russian and Spanish) which were held during
different periods throughout the year. In 2011, the Geneva component of the fellowship was
organized for the first time in one single training programme for all four linguistic groups,
bringing together 25 indigenous fellows speaking English, French, Russian and Spanish for a
training programme which took place from 20 June to 22 July. The new format enabled all
fellows to observe and actively participate in the annual session of the Expert Mechanism on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and it gave the fellows more opportunities to interact with
indigenous representatives from other regions of the world. In the context of the reform of the
Indigenous Fellowship Programme, OHCHR also introduced the Senior Indigenous
Fellowship. The first senior indigenous fellow joined the OHCHR Indigenous Peoples and
Minorities Section from 9 May to 29 July 2011.
10.
OHCHR carried out a number of training and briefing sessions as part of its efforts to
promote the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including briefings for OHCHR
staff and for human rights treaty bodies. OHCHR also participated in a training workshop for
the United Nations Country Team in Congo on indigenous peoples’ issues in November 2011.
The workshop, organized by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
jointly with the country team office, was part of the roll-out of the United Nations
Development Group Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues and focused on
recommendations from the international mechanisms and the recently promulgated Law No.52011 to promote and protect the rights of indigenous population in Congo.
11.
The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations – managed by OHCHR
on the basis of advice from a Board of Trustees – continued to support the participation of
indigenous organizations in the sessions of the Expert Mechanism and the Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues. The Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund selected 30 representatives
of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the tenth session of the Permanent
Forum in May 2011 and 24 indigenous applicants to attend the fourth session of the Expert
Mechanism in July 2011.
12.
At its twenty-fifth session in February 2012, the Board of Trustees, taking into account
the substantial decrease in the voluntary contributions received, was able to select only 23
representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to attend the eleventh session of
the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2012 and only 16 indigenous
representatives to attend the fifth session of the Expert Mechanism. Furthermore, pursuant to
the enlarged mandate of the Fund, the Board recommended four grants to enable indigenous
representatives to attend the thirteenth session of the universal periodic review and one grant
for an indigenous representative to attend the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council.
Furthermore, it set aside USD 52,394 to allow 17 representatives of indigenous communities
and organizations – to be selected at the three intersessional virtual meetings held in May and
to be held in August and November 2012 – to attend the sessions of the Human Rights treaty
bodies, the universal periodic review and Human Rights Council that will take place between
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