Intersessional roundtable on ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of the Human Rights Council on issues affecting them

On 16 July 2021 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.), the Human Rights Council will hold an intersessional roundtable on ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of the Human Rights Council on issues affecting them. The dialogue will take place virtually on Zoom and can be followed on the webcast at: http://webtv.un.org.

In its resolution 42/19 of 8 October 2019, the Human Rights Council decided to organize another intersessional interactive dialogue in the form of a roundtable to follow up on a dialogue on the same subject that took place on 15 July 2019. As it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Human Rights Council decided in its resolution 45/12 of 9 October 2020, to organise this dialogue which will take place on 16 July 2021.

The aim of the event is to facilitate dialogue between indigenous peoples’ representatives and Member States in order to strengthen indigenous peoples’ participation at meetings of the Council. It will be co-Chaired by the President of the Human Rights Council and the Chair of the Indigenous Temporary Committee, Coordination Body. The roundtable will include representatives from seven States and seven Indigenous Peoples from the seven socio-cultural regions determined to give broad representation to the world’s indigenous peoples as recognized is by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean, the Arctic, Central and Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, North America, and the Pacific. The discussion will then be open to statements from the floor from States and observers, including national human rights institutions (NHRIs) fully compliant with the Paris Principles and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with ECOSOC. Participants will examine ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of the Council on issues affecting them.

The Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to make the interactive dialogue fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and to prepare a summary report of the dialogue that will be submitted to the Council prior to its 48th session.