ANNEX Comments on the draft recommendations During the Forum proceedings, participants made the following comments/suggestions of amendments to the draft recommendations. General - The recommendations should include the need for a contextual approach to constitutional and electoral mechanisms at different stages of a country’s transition from conflict; a duty on international election monitoring and electoral assistance missions to ensure their staff are adequately trained in minority rights standards; and recognition of the overwhelming importance in transitional societies of security for the effective enjoyment of the right to political participation for members of minorities; - Nobody should be fined because of the user of her or his mother tongue; - Political parties should develop strategies for effective outreach to supporters in order to develop long-term dialogue; - Given the importance of educational and economic empowerment to the enabling of minorities to participate in the political life of the countries in which they reside, there should be separate recommendations on those issues instead of being listed with a number of other issues; - Several countries maintain territories or colonies with varying degrees of self government, but in which the native population are citizens or nationals of the mother country. These countries should enact the proper statutes that would extend full voting rights to the representatives of those citizens residing in these countries and their territories in their national legislative bodies and the right to vote for the president/prime minister or otherwise named chief executive of the country to every citizen living in their territories/colonies. Comments on section A. Governments and parliaments - Recommendations 19 should be amended so that Governments are urged not only to take special measures to end discrimination but to actually ratify the relevant international conventions prohibiting discrimination, and to enact implementing legislation to that end; - Greater emphasis should be placed on the role of the judiciary in serving its constitutional role as a check and balance to the legislature and the executive in 23