A/HRC/4/19/Add.2 page 26 against Racism with regard to material, budgetary and human resources and their authority and capacity for action and intervention. The Service for Combating Racism should also be strengthened; − In order to ensure a holistic approach that takes account of common underlying sources and of the link between all forms of discrimination, the Government should establish a federal commission to promote human rights and combat all forms of discrimination relating to race, religious belief, gender, age, disability and sexual preference. Bearing in mind the urgency of questions relating to racism and xenophobia, the commission should attach high priority, at the initial stage, to combating racism and xenophobia. The commission’s mandate should incorporate the current mandates of the Federal Commission against Racism and the Federal Commission for Foreigners. The commission should be structured around subcommissions relating to each of these forms of discrimination and should be granted administrative, legal and normative powers of investigation, action and appeal with respect to all forms of discrimination, as well as the appropriate human, material and financial resources. Its budget should be allocated by the Federal Assembly. The president and members of the commission should be appointed by the Federal Assembly at the proposal of the Government, in consultation with political parties, civil society organizations and all cultural, religious and linguistic communities, in order to reflect the diversity of Swiss society and the necessary balances. The commission should submit an annual report to the Federal Assembly containing an assessment of the situation and action-oriented recommendations for ensuring the promotion of and respect for human rights, and for combating all forms of discrimination. The commission should be administered by a technical secretariat under its authority, either by the transfer, strengthening and transformation of the current Service for Combating Racism, reinforced with additional human, material and budgetary resources, or by a new mechanism. This service should be given the mandate of follow-up, collection of statistical data, and recording and analysing incidents, manifestations and expressions of discrimination, for the commission. 88. The Special Rapporteur recommends that the resources provided to independent bodies that combat racism should be maintained, if not increased. 89. The Special Rapporteur is aware of the challenges arising from Switzerland’s federal structure and the division of powers between the Confederation and the cantons. He nevertheless considers that the authorities should establish appropriate mechanisms to address the shortcomings in the area of protecting individuals against racism and racial discrimination. In this regard, he endorses the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2002, particularly the assertion that “the Federal Government has the responsibility of ensuring the implementation of the Convention on its entire territory and must ensure that cantonal authorities are aware of the rights set out in the Convention and take the necessary measures in order to respect them” (CERD/C/60/CO/14, para. 8).