d) International Relations Office. This unit shall be responsible for all matters and concerns involving international bodies and foreign countries and affecting the enjoyment and realization of all human rights of the ICCs/IPs. To accomplish this mandate, it shall have the following specific functions: (1) Assist the NCIP in representing the Philippine ICC/IPs in all international conferences and conventions dealing with indigenous peoples and other related concerns; (2) Monitor the implementation and promotion of international conventions, treaties and other international instruments affecting the ICCs/IPs to which the Philippines is a party or a signatory or which are generally considered part of customary international law and practice. (3) Maintain and manage, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, an Attaché Service for ICCs/IPs at the United Nations in New York and Geneva and in such other places as may be determined by the NCIP, for coordination with the United Nations, foreign governments and other international organizations in such matters affecting the ICCs/IPs. (4) Conduct research and training in new developments in international law, trade and world affairs, with special emphasis on the effects of globalization on the ICCs/IPs and maintain a data base and serve as a repository of relevant international materials; (5) Pursue and maintain international linkages and ensure the proper dissemination abroad of accurate information about ICCs/IPs in the Philippines; and (6) Perform such other services and functions that the NCIP may deem necessary. Part VIII. Composition of and Guidelines for the Convening of the Consultative Body Section 1. Definition and Composition. Pursuant to Section 50 of the Act, the NCIP shall convene the consultative body which is defined as: a) A body consisting of the traditional leaders, elders and representatives from the women and youth sectors of the different ICCs/IPs shall be constituted by the NCIP from time to time to advise it on matters relating to the problems, aspirations and interests of the ICCs/IPs. b) A grassroots consensus building process, and/or multi-level mechanism of people’s participation in the implementation of the provisions of the Act and the objectives of the NCIP. Section 2. Guidelines for the Convening of the Consultative Body. In convening the Consultative Body as provided in Section 50 of the Act, the following guidelines shall be applicable: a) The Consultative Body shall be composed of tribal leaders and indigenous peoples representatives from the elderly, women, youth and children sectors, who shall be accredited for this purpose, and where applicable, in accordance with the principle of equitable representation of all ICCs/IPs at each level; b) The Consultative Body shall be constituted from time to time at the ancestral domain, barangay, municipal, provincial, regional and national levels, to advise the NCIP on matters relating to the problems, aspirations and interests of the ICCs/IPs; c) On matters pertinent to the formulation of development plans and monitoring of programs and projects, including those concerning poverty alleviation/reduction, the Commission shall convene the Consultative Body at the national level, preferably on a quarterly basis; d) Regional representation to the national consultative body shall be selected through an ascending multi-level process emanating from the community level, and shall be rotated among the different ICC/IP communities; Page 39