A/HRC/16/45/Add.2 United States Commission on International Religious Freedoms was allowed to visit Viet Nam in May 2009. VI. Political participation of minorities 69. A total of 33 of the country’s ethnic minority groups are represented in the National Assembly, whose leadership sets targets for the representation of minorities and women. In its statement made at the second session of the Forum on Minority Issues, which focused on the political participation of ethnic minority people, the Government of Viet Nam pointed out that, in 2009, 87 of 493 Assembly representatives were from ethnic minorities, 39 of whom were women. Some 17.6 per cent of the total number of deputies are minorities, higher than the 13.8 per cent of ethnic minorities in the population. In the composition of people’s councils at all levels in the period 1999-2003, the proportion of people’s deputies from ethnic minorities was 14 per cent at the provincial level, 17 per cent at the district level and 19 per cent at the commune level. In the period 2004-2009, these figures had reportedly risen to 20.53, 20.18 and 24.4 per cent respectively. 70. The Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the Communist Party compile candidate lists for elections to the National Assembly and seek to ensure representativeness by establishing numerical targets for ethnic minorities. Subsequently, the Fatherland Front and ethnic minority associations seek suitable candidates from ethnic minorities who they nominate as ethnic minority candidates. The Government pointed out that people belonging to ethnic minorities held key positions in State organs, from central to local levels, including the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, the Chairman of the Council on Ethnic Minorities of the Assembly, and the Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs. 71. The 39-member Council on Ethnic Minorities is the key body of the National Assembly through which ethnic minority issues are channelled. Leadership positions are held by deputies from ethnic minorities, and all 33 minorities represented in the National Assembly are represented in the Council, which also includes two Kinh deputies. The Council plays an oversight role with regard to legislation relating to matters affecting minorities and the State’s long-term strategies for ethnic minorities, including programme 135 and poverty reduction policies. It also produces annual implementation reports. 72. A study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union concluded that the capacity of the Council to review legislation and to make proposals to the National Assembly required strengthening, including through improvements to the capacity of its members. While the Council provides important electoral training for ethnic minority candidates, there is no consistent training offered for the more challenging duties of legislating and oversight of Government policies.21 Analysts also describe a lack of consultation by the Council with local levels of government concerning minority issues. Such improvements, together with effective processes of consultation with minority communities, could strengthen the Council’s oversight of ethnic minority policies and its overall effectiveness. 73. The Government acknowledged that challenges remain with regard to ensuring the effective political participation of minorities and highlighted the inadequate number of local officials from ethnic minorities. Government efforts to encourage greater minority political participation include training programmes for future civil servants and civic awareness programmes in minority communities. In May 2010, the first nationwide representative 21 Sonia Palmieri, “Representation from the top: ethnic minorities in the National Assembly of Viet Nam”, Inter-Parliamentary Union and United Nations Development Programme, 2010. 17