Washington D. C., September 11, 2009

Dear representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Americas,

The Department of International Law of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States is pleased to inform you that the distinguished Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the OAS, Ambassador José E. Pinelo, has been elected as Chair of the Working Group to Prepare the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Working Group will resume its duties next Monday, September 21, when the election of the vice chair will take place and the working agenda will be adopted.  The proposed dates for the XII Meeting of Negotiation in the Quest for Points of Consensus include the following options:  Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, November 18, 2009; and Monday, December 14 to Wednesday, December 16, 2009.  As in previous years, the participation and meeting of the Caucus will be facilitated the weekend prior to the plenary session.

We will keep you up-to-date on any new developments concerning the Working Group and, in particular, as regards the holding of the Meeting of Negotiation in the Quest for Points of Consensus.  We also recommend that you visit our website for information on the Working Group, at the following link:  http://www.oas.org/dil/esp/indigenas_grupo_de_trabajo.htm.

Sincerely,

Luis Toro Utillano
Senior Legal Officer
Department of International Law

Department of International Law
Secretariat for Legal Affairs
Organization of American States
1889 F Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006
T. 202-458-6819/6377
F. 202-458-3293
mveliz@oas.org
jsalah@oas.org
www.oas.org