A/HRC/42/55 53. Members of the Mechanism also referenced the recent mission to Mexico City regarding implementation of the incorporation into the new Constitution of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 54. In response to questions from the floor regarding advice on how to improve the implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples, several participants pointed to the need to persist with open and inclusive dialogue between States and indigenous peoples. Indigenous representatives from the Yaqui people of the United States and Mexico and the Sami Parliament of Sweden welcomed a possible country engagement regarding repatriation of a sacred object. A significant number of possible country engagement requests then came from the floor, which were welcomed by the experts, with the advice that they should be put in writing. 55. The requests so far received by the Expert Mechanism have addressed a broad range of issues, including implementation of recommendations from the universal periodic review, the repatriation of spiritual objects, child protection issues, conservation impacts and the creation and implementation of legislation on the rights of indigenous peoples. Although different in nature, in each request the point was made that country visits by the Expert Mechanism and the technical support it provided could contribute to establishing a new and improved relationship between States and indigenous peoples, rooted in mutual respect. IX. Panel discussion on indigenous women in power 56. Inspired by the recent election of indigenous women to public office in several parts of the world, the Expert Mechanism decided to hold a panel discussion on the theme of indigenous women in power. The panel assembled a group of indigenous women currently serving or having previously served in parliament or government, from several of the indigenous sociocultural regions.3 57. The objectives of the panel discussion were: (a) To discuss the motivation behind indigenous women pursuing a political career in mainstream politics: how was their journey and how did they get to their positions of political power? (b) For indigenous women to share experiences in their current positions and describe what it meant to them to be indigenous women in national parliaments or in government; (c) To examine the challenges and barriers to the participation of indigenous women in mainstream politics; (d) To discuss how the United Nations and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples could support indigenous women in office in their political role. 58. As Vice-Chair of the Mechanism, Ms. Davis opened the discussion on item 7 and introduced the moderator, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Director of the Liaison Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Geneva and formerly a minister and parliamentarian in Guyana. Ms. Rodrigues Birkett provided an introduction, reflecting on her own experiences and then introduced the panellists: • Ethel Blondin Andrew, the first indigenous woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in Canada and former Minister for Children and Youth • Jannie Lasimbang, Assistant Minister of Law and Native Affairs, Sabah State, Malaysia • Sara Olsvig, head of the programme in Greenland for the United Nations Children’s Fund, Denmark, and former member of the parliament in Denmark and Greenland 3 The concept note for the panel is available at www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IPeoples/ EMRIP/Session12/CN_IndigenousWomenPowerPanel.pdf. 11