A/RES/52/108
Page 2
2. Affirms its conviction of the value and diversity of the cultures and forms of social organization
of indigenous people and its conviction that the development of indigenous people within their countries
will contribute to the socio-economic, cultural and environmental advancement of all the countries of the
world;
3. Emphasizes the importance of strengthening the human and institutional capacity of indigenous
people to develop their own solutions to their problems, recommends once again, for these purposes, that
the United Nations University consider the possibility of sponsoring, in each region, one or more existing
institutions of higher education as centres of excellence and the diffusion of expertise, inter alia, by
conducting relevant studies, and invites the Commission on Human Rights to recommend appropriate
means of implementation;
4. Notes that the programme of activities for the Decade may be reviewed and updated throughout
the Decade and that, at the mid-point of the Decade, the Economic and Social Council and the General
Assembly should review the results of the activities in order to identify obstacles to the achievement of
the goals of the Decade and to recommend solutions for overcoming those obstacles;
5. Decides to appoint the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as coordinator for
the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, and requests the High Commissioner, in that
capacity:
(a) To promote the objectives of the Decade, taking into account, in the fulfilment of her functions,
the special concerns of indigenous people;
(b) To consider organizing a workshop for research and higher education institutions, as outlined
in Commission on Human Rights resolution 1997/32 of 11 April 1997,3 focusing on indigenous issues,
in consultation with indigenous people and the relevant United Nations bodies;
(c) To give due regard to the dissemination of information on the situation, cultures, languages,
rights and aspirations of indigenous people;
(d) To submit, through the Secretary-General, an annual report to the General Assembly on the
implementation of the programme of activities for the Decade;
6. Reaffirms the adoption of a declaration on the rights of indigenous people as a major objective
of the Decade, and underlines the importance of effective participation by indigenous representatives in
the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights established pursuant
to Commission on Human Rights resolution 1995/32 of 3 March 1995;4
3
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1997, Supplement No. 3 (E/1997/23),
chap. II, sect. A.
4
Ibid., 1995, Supplement No. 3 and corrigenda (E/1995/23 and Corr.1 and 2), chap. II, sect. A.
/...