Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Purpose of the mandate

The Expert Mechanism provides the Human Rights Council with expertise and advice on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It assists Member States in achieving the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Expert Mechanism conducts studies to advance the promotion and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights by:

• clarifying the implications of key principles, such as self-determination and free, prior and informed consent
• examining good practices and challenges in a broad array of areas pertaining to Indigenous Peoples’ rights,
• suggesting measures that States and others can adopt at the level of laws, policies and programmes.

About the mandate

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) was established by the Human Rights Council, the UN’s main human rights body, in 2007 under resolution 6/36 as a subsidiary body of the Council. Its mandate was then amended in September 2016 by Human Rights Council resolution 33/25.

More on the history of this mandate.

About the experts

The Expert Mechanism is composed of seven independent experts on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council and are selected on the basis of competence and experience in the rights of Indigenous Peoples, due consideration for experts of indigenous origin, and gender balance.

Read more about the members of the Expert Mechanism.

Annual sessions of the Expert Mechanism

Each year, the Expert Mechanism holds a five-day session in which representatives from states, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, civil society, inter-governmental organisations and academia take part.

The 18th session of the Expert Mechanism will take place in-person from 14-18 July 2025 in Palais des Nations, Geneva