A/HRC/18/26 62. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination continued to pay particular attention to the situation of indigenous peoples in the concluding observations adopted after the consideration of reports submitted by States parties, as well as during the consideration of situations under its early warning and urgent action procedure. In some concluding observations, the Committee recalled its general recommendation No. 23 (1997) on the rights of indigenous peoples. During the period under review, concluding observations relating to indigenous peoples issues were addressed to eight State parties. 63. The Committee regretted the absence of information from a number of State parties on the ethnic and linguistic make-up of the population, including indigenous peoples, which would enable both the Committee and the State party to better assess the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at the national level. In this regard, the Committee reiterated its recommendation according to which State parties should adopt measures or appropriate statistical tools to ensure that selfidentification is the primary means for determining whether people are indigenous or not. The Committee also addressed the issue of lack of legal recognition of indigenous peoples by some State parties, including recognition of collective rights to indigenous peoples, in particular the right to ancestral land. 64. The Committee continued to pay attention to activities carried out by transitional corporations that may have a negative impact on the traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples. It continued to address the issue of effective participation and representation of indigenous peoples in public and political affairs, as well as in decision-making bodies. It also continued to address the issue of full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by indigenous peoples. The Committee remained concerned about the issues of effective access to justice and of judicial and administrative remedies for indigenous peoples. 65. Under its early warning and urgent action procedure, the Committee issued letters of concerns and recommendations regarding the situation of indigenous peoples in 14 countries. In particular, it expressed great concern about the lack of consultation with indigenous peoples prior to granting land concessions, including the absence of seeking their prior, free and informed consent before carrying out mining activities or other projects on their traditional lands that may affect their lifestyle. The Committee recommended that State parties should consult with indigenous peoples before carry out mining activities or other projects in order to obtain their prior, free and informed consent. In a number of situations under its early warning and urgent action procedure, the Committee addressed the negative impact of mining activities on the environment and recommended that State parties should carry out independent impact assessments of such activities. (b) Human Rights Committee 66. At its one-hundredth session, the Human Rights Committee examined a State party report and expressed its particular concern at the situation of women and girls performing domestic work, which primarily affects rural and indigenous women and girls. Under articles 3 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Committee noted that they were subject to particularly harsh working conditions, excessive work hours and were either unpaid or poorly paid for their work. (c) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 67. During the forty-fourth session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, concluding observations regarding the rights of indigenous peoples were addressed to a number of States parties. Recommendations included the recognition of an indigenous official language; the establishment of concrete measures to review processes concerning infrastructure, development and mining projects and full implementation decisions of the Constitutional Court; the adoption of legislation in consultation with and the participation of, inter alia, indigenous peoples, that clearly established the right to free, prior and 14