Kisebbségpolitikai
On-line Lexikon

The Working Group on Indigenous Populations was established in 1982 as one of the six working groups overseen by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the main subsidiary body of the Commission on Human Rights (defunct 2006). It provided an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to share their experiences and raise their concerns at the UN. The Working Group met for the last time in 2007, when it was replaced by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a subsidiary body of the Human Rights Council (HRC). The Expert Mechanism – made up of five independent experts appointed by the HRC – provides the HRC with thematic advice. It holds an annual session, usually in July, in which representatives from States, indigenous peoples, indigenous peoples’ organizations, civil society, inter-governmental organizations, and academia participate. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was established in 2000 as an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, with a mandate to discuss Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health, and human rights. The Forum is made up of 16 independent experts. It holds two-week sessions once a year, usually in May. The first Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples was appointed in 2001 as one of the thematic Special Procedures. In the fulfillment of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur promotes good practices between Indigenous Peoples and states to implement international standards concerning the rights of Indigenous Peoples; reports on the overall human rights situations of Indigenous Peoples in selected countries; addresses specific cases of alleged violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples through communications; and conducts thematic studies on topics of special importance regarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The current mandate holder is Francisco Cali Tzay, a Mayan Cakchiquel from Guatemala.