The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions The Office of the Ombudsman in Namibia has undertaken a range of actions to increase its accessibility to people living in isolated areas. In addition to establishing two regional offices, 152 “visiting points” have been set up throughout the country. Depending on budget, these locations are visited two or three times each year to collect complaints. To complement the regional complaint intake clinic programmes, the Ombudsman also visits indigenous communities for “community meetings”. The purpose is to meet traditional chiefs and inform them and community members of the functions and duties of the Ombudsman and to attend to matters brought to the Office. The Ombudsman also uses radio as a tool to reach the remote and largely illiterate indigenous communities in the country. The Namibia Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts in all indigenous languages. Radio spots are used to provide information on human rights and the role of the Ombudsman, which is presented by a staff member in an indigenous language.169 In addition to physical accessibility, NHRIs need to be culturally accessible to indigenous peoples. NHRIs can take a range of actions to ensure that as an institution indigenous peoples feel culturally safe when they engage with it. Some of these actions are detailed in the following subsections.169 2. BUILDING TRUST WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ ORGANIZATIONS In order to foster effective engagement with indigenous peoples, NHRIs must do more than ensure that their structures are accessible. Cooperative working relationships based on trust and mutual respect must be fostered between NHRIs and indigenous peoples and indigenous peoples’ organizations. The duty to consult and the principle of free, prior and informed consent should guide the development of these relationships.170 The Canadian Human Rights Commission participates at annual general meetings of First Nations and other indigenous peoples’ stakeholder groups. At these meetings the Commission distributes education and awareness raising materials on human rights and on the Commission’s functions. This participation helps build relationships of trust and confidence between the Commission and First Nations peoples. The Commission’s also hosts Discrimination Prevention Forums to help strengthen partnerships and networking connections. In 2010, the Commission’s Circle of Awareness, Cycle of Growth Forum focused on the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly issues relating to the workplace.170 The Forum enabled indigenous, corporate, Government and NGO participants to interact in an informal setting, which included practical workshops and plenary sessions. 169 Presentation to OHCHR workshop, Toward an Operational Guide for National Human Rights Institutions: Possible good practices in addressing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, Switzerland, 11 July 2011. 170 Further information is available at www.chrc-ccdp.ca/preventing_discrimination/forum_2010_forum/archives-eng.aspx. 48 | Chapter 6: Accessibility of NHRIs to indigenous peoples