A/HRC/18/35 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 11 July 2011 Original: English Human Rights Council Eighteenth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya Extractive industries operating within or near indigenous territories Summary The present report is the fourth annual report submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, pursuant to Council resolution 15/14. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur provides a summary of the activities carried out during his third year in the mandate, including cooperation with other international and regional mechanisms and bodies in the field of indigenous rights, and the activities carried out in his four main areas of work: promoting good practices; country reports; specific cases of alleged human rights violations; and thematic studies. The Special Rapporteur devotes the second half of the report to an analysis of the impact of extractive industries operating within or near indigenous territories following the distribution of a questionnaire on the issue to Governments, indigenous peoples, corporations and civil society. The growing awareness of the impact of extractive industries on the rights of indigenous peoples is further raised by the concerns expressed by many of the responses received confirming the assertion that these projects and industries are becoming the greatest challenges to the exercise of the rights of indigenous peoples. This situation is further evidenced by the lack of understanding of basic minimum standards on the effects of extractive industries affecting indigenous peoples and about the role and responsibility of the State to ensure protection of their rights. The Special Rapporteur concludes with the need to continue the study of this issue GE.11-14639

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