A/HRC/7/23/Add.2 page 2 Summary The independent expert on minority issues, Ms. Gay McDougall, in pursuance of her mandate, visited France between 19 and 28 September 2007. During her visit she travelled to Paris, Marseilles and Strasbourg and environs, where she held consultations with ministers and other senior government representatives, NGOs, civil society groups, religious leaders, academics and others working in the field of minority issues, anti-discrimination and gender issues. The independent expert visited communities living in suburbs of Paris and Marseilles described as urban “ghettos” or “sensitive” suburbs, including Bobigny and La Courneuve, which were affected by urban upheavals in 2005. She talked directly to community members about their lives, issues and concerns in relation to her mandate and held forums specifically for minority women, enabling them to reflect specific issues facing them. The independent expert found that serious discrimination is experienced by members of minority communities in France, clearly targeted at those “visible” minorities of immigrant heritage, many of whom are French citizens. She concluded that the particular problems faced by people in “sensitive” suburbs are a direct consequence of discrimination and consequently require policy initiatives to address the special circumstances they face. Discrimination against minorities manifests itself in such areas as the allocation of housing, access to employment, quality of education, and grossly inadequate levels of political participation. Issues of identity are central in discourse and mind-sets regarding exclusion. Members of minority communities described an extreme pressure on them to alter their cultural and religious identities as a precondition for immigration and full inclusion and acceptance in French society. Visits to minority communities revealed high levels of frustration. She found that young people from minority communities feel their hopes and dreams are being denied; they see no possibility of upward mobility because of their skin colour, religion, surname or address (in the sensitive suburbs). People who have worked hard, played by all the rules and truly believe in the principles of the French Republic are trapped in socially and geographically isolated urban ghettos, with unemployment over 40 per cent in some areas. They feel discriminated against and rejected by rigid notions of French national identity to which they do not conform. The independent expert found that there is a general climate of suspicion and negativity against those of immigrant origin, generated in part by public debates over immigration policies, the announcement of quotas for deportations and questions of DNA testing. Much more must be done to establish an acceptance of cultural diversity. Currently, she found, there is a widespread feeling within the community of visible minorities that to become a citizen of France is not sufficient for full acceptance; that acceptance will be granted only with total assimilation that forces them to reject major facets of their identities. Only when a way is found to shed the colour of their skins and hide the manifestations of their religion or the traditions of their ancestors will they be accepted as truly French. The message that they take from the name of the new Ministry of Immigration, National Identity, Integration and Co-development seems to be that the presence and increasing numbers of people of immigrant heritage is a threat to the national identity of France; that it is a problem that must be solved. The independent expert commended recent anti-discrimination initiatives, including the 2004 Anti-discrimination Law and the establishment of the Independent High Authority for Equality and Against Discrimination (HALDE), an independent body with powers to mediate or