A/HRC/25/56 recovery efforts”.36 The impact of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath on African-American communities was well documented as were deficiencies in the relief and reconstruction efforts. Minorities may be more vulnerable to natural disaster due to the location of their homes in marginal locations, vulnerable occupations, and poor-quality housing. The environmental impact of development mega-projects often has a disproportionate impact on minorities, as demonstrated by the impact of aggro-business projects on Afro-Colombian minorities and their lands and indigenous minorities in the Gambella region of Ethiopa displaced from their lands, as well as the impact on Pygmy communities of the ChadCameroon oil pipeline in Cameroon — a few of many examples. H. Governance 73. The Independent Expert provided a submission to the Global Consultation on Governance and the Post-2015 Framework held in South Africa in February 201337 in which she highlighted that minorities globally are poorly represented in all levels of government, decision-making bodies and public-sector employment. At the national level, political and administrative frameworks and public-sector structures with responsibilities for development are often staffed by and geared towards majority communities. Good and inclusive governance is essential to ensuring the rights of minorities. Inclusive governance, representative of minorities, ensures that their issues are not neglected and that policies and programmes are developed with their interests in mind. When minorities are excluded from decision-making and public bodies responsible for implementation of development initiatives, it is inevitable that strategies will neglect minorities or lack the specialist information about their situations and needs to ensure that projects are successful and sustainable. 74. The Independent Expert highlighted in her 2012 report to the General Assembly, the fact that efforts to ensure minority rights and equality frequently require States to implement positive measures and approaches, as required by the Declaration. Positive change for disadvantaged minorities can be facilitated by appropriate institutional attention given to minority rights and a policy and programme framework within which to address minority issues. Institutional attention for minority rights is the logical next step from legislation to concrete action for the protection and promotion of minority rights. A key recommendation is that States consider institutional attention for minority rights both as a good governance obligation, and as an essential component of their human rights, equality and non-discrimination commitments. I. Energy 75. Access to affordable energy is essential for development and yet minority communities are frequently disproportionately affected by “energy poverty” that impacts on all areas of their lives and restricts their opportunities and development. Minority communities often live in remote or poor rural areas that are poorly served by energy infrastructure. Indeed minorities may also be negatively affected by energy-generating projects which take place in the areas in which they live, but from which they do not fully 36 37 . 20 Ibid. p. 3. Available from www.worldwewant2015.org/file/328125/download/356499