Remarks and recommendations I wish to commend the excellent set of “Draft recommendations on minorities and effective participation in economic life” submitted to the Forum’s attention and to express my personal support for these proposals. At the same time I emphasize the need to mainstream a stronger gender dimension in our approach and dully take into account the specificity of discrimination against minority women, which is amplified by the intersectionality of multiple grounds of discrimination. It is important to pursue the implementation of Beijing Platform for Action’s recommendations, in particular of those spelt out in the section on “women and the economy” as well as to devote increased attention to fully attaining Millenium Development Goals, including Goal no.3 that engages member states’ commitment to gender equality and women’s economic and political empowerment. I also believe that the work and recommendations of CEDAW Committee and of the other human rights treaty bodies, of the Human Rights Council, of OHCHR and UN specialized agencies, are particularly useful and relevant and should be better utilized for pushing further the agenda of protection and promotion of human rights of the persons belonging to minority groups. Monitoring progress in the implementation of these recommendations should be a priority in our joint efforts to support minorities. Besides, I warmly recommend the development of a strong cooperation with respect to minority women with the newly established UN WOMEN. Furthermore, we need to address minority women and men’s participation in the economic life in the broader context of their general status in the societies and communities where they live. Their economic empowerment should be accompanied by their political empowerment and by guarantees against any interference with their liberty, dignity and integrity. All this requires a strong political will and concrete measures to be taken, nationally and locally, first and foremost by the Governments which hold primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights. They should work in partnership with other main stakeholders, local and regional authorities, non-governmental organizations, companies, trade unions and employers’ organizations and international community. Thank you for your attention.