• • • • • • • • • • • • • creating a truly pluralistic society in a reconciliation process, including the effective participation of minority women in the political sphere. Examples were also given of measures taken in some States to improve the situation and ensure that Roma women do enjoy access to healthcare, including free medical consultations, and access to healthcare for Roma being included in national action plans in some States. The use of positive measures constitutes a fundamental part of the realisation of the right to equality of access, including for example training and recruitment initiatives or quotas in public and private sectors to promote access by minorities to labour markets. In the field of the judiciary, the creation of an independent judicial appointments commission could prove useful to encourage transparency and ensuring that applicants from all parts of society are fairly treated and that the judiciary is representative of society. In this regard, the need to encourage more minority women to apply for positions within the judiciary was highlighted, helping to create more role models. The need for targeted advocacy was highlighted as a way to advance minority women’s rights. Research and data were considered to be a useful tool, as well as study sessions and trainings targeted at minority women. The importance of creating and consolidating networks of organizations working on minority women’s rights. The use of proper terminology in training tools and materials. Examples were given of measures taken to tackle discrimination, including a new action plan on gender equality. The need for more knowledge on these issues and not to forget the intersecting forms of discrimination and to adopt a holistic approach was further highlighted. The usefulness of adopting a multi-pronged approach including social, economic, administrative as well as legal affirmative measures for the advancement of women as well as rights-based approach to social, economic and political empowerment of women, including women belonging to minorities; examples of such targeted programmes include gender-responsive budgets. They also underscored the importance of allocating more resources including on social awareness and in addressing domestic violence. Examples were cited of constitutions that contain explicit provisions to ensure that there is no discrimination. The importance of the legal framework was reiterated and an example was given of a national programme focusing on equality between men and women that focuses on building public policies with a gender perspective, promoting the elimination of established gender stereotypes, increasing the number of girls in schools, giving special attention to women living in poverty. It was stated that measures taken to increase political participation could also include the translation of electoral information materials into minority languages. 25