A/HRC/4/9/Add.3 page 8 identity and consent of the peoples concerned”. While in six states one ethnic group has a clear majority of the population or is politically dominant, as reflected in the name of the state, the other states do not give primacy to one particular group. The State of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP), for example, is acknowledged to accommodate over 45 different ethnic groups within its territory. Within regions, smaller administrative territories, called “waredas” and “zones”, operate to allow a degree of self-determination to specific groups that may be the numerical majority within those units. 16. The independent expert received a variety of opinions regarding the system of ethnically-based federalism. Some felt that it had been imposed without an adequate process of consultation, national debate or dialogue that could have ensured a more gradual introduction and avoided subsequent problems. Others felt that in demarcating particular territories as effectively belonging to designated ethnic groups, members of other ethnic groups became de facto minorities within that regional state, consequently making the protection of minority rights as crucial at the state level as it is at the federal level. 17. Some issues have caused increased tensions between communities and remain persistent problems. Imposition of local or regional languages as the official language of regional states has reportedly resulted in members of some communities of differing ethnic origin effectively becoming functionally illiterate overnight. Some of those living outside their “natural ethnic enclaves” faced attempts to evict them or claim their land and property, based on the perception that under the system only certain native groups were entitled to land. Some groups have been effectively excluded from participation in the public life of the regions in which they live, as they are not recognized as native to the region, or do not speak official local languages, and so cannot hold certain public offices including regional president or cabinet member. 18. The system of ethnically-based federalism has undoubtedly been useful in terms of its greater recognition of different ethnic groups, cultures and languages. Nonetheless, deeper analysis reveals the true costs of the system with respect to the protection and promotion of the rights of minorities. However, it may be too soon to make a comprehensive evaluation of its full merits. III. ENSURING GROUP SURVIVAL 19. Some smaller minority communities in Ethiopia are considered to be in danger of disappearing completely as distinct ethnic groups and cultures, due to factors including resettlement, displacement, conflict, assimilation, cultural dilution, environmental factors and loss of land. National experts suggested that the number of endangered communities, some of which have less than 300 members, could be as high as 16 out of some 80 identified communities. An unknown number of minority communities are believed to have already disappeared completely. Adequate political representation of some of the smallest groups