A/HRC/19/56/Add.1 ethnic group or an indigenous people”.35 It acknowledged that, in accordance with the policy on rural settlement and programme of natural forests and national parks, Batwa and other Rwandans were removed from forests and relocated to organized settlements across the country through a consultative process. The Government asserts that by living in organized settlements, historically marginalized people have greater access to essential services and are better able to benefit from socio-economic opportunities and assistance programmes. 72. The Government notes that historically marginalized people benefit from a variety of Government programmes such as universal education for all, the “One Cow per Poor Family” programme and other programmes as set out in Rwanda‟s vision 2020 Umurenge Programme and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, among others (see CERD/C/RWA/1317, paragraph 192). The independent expert visited villages, including Gahini in the Eastern Province and in Muhanga in the Southern Province, with the National Human Rights Commission and the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, in which Batwa individuals and families appeared well-integrated into wider communities. They had housing on a par with other families in the community, plots of land and were pursuing activities such as pottery and small-scale cultivation. 73. Batwa community members in those villages stated that they had received Government support to build tin-roofed housing. Some families had also benefited from the “One Cow per Poor Family” programme. They expressed general satisfaction with service provision including education and health care. However these examples stand in marked contrast to the situation of Batwa communities visited by the independent expert with NGOs. VI. Protection of the right to effective political participation 74. The Government reports that all Rwandans are fully represented in the national governance structures and the judiciary. Under article 9, paragraph 4, of the Constitution, women are granted at least 30 per cent of posts in decision-making organs. In 2003, women occupied slightly above 48 per cent of parliamentary seats, while, in the 2008 parliamentary elections, women won over 56 per cent of seats. However, since no ethnically disaggregated data exists and discussion of ethnicity is taboo, it is difficult to assess the extent to which significant ethnic diversity exists within decision-making bodies, particularly with respect to the leadership within those bodies. 75. The Batwa are particularly poorly represented in political structures and decisionmaking bodies. Eight seats in the Senate are reserved for representatives of historically marginalized people, however, it remains unclear which groups this quota was designed to assist. Currently there is only one Batwa Senator, who is appointed by the President rather than elected by the Batwa themselves. There are no Batwa in the Chamber of Deputies. The independent expert visited Batwa communities during local elections and was informed that Batwa candidates rarely achieve the required support since non-Batwa are unlikely to vote for them. Candidates are required to have six years of education which effectively excludes many Batwa. Batwa representatives claim that out of approximately 3,500 local officials, only about a dozen are Batwa. 76. The Constitution establishes a decentralized system which empowers elected local governments to plan and implement programmes (CERD/C/RWA/13-17, para. 149). While this policy of decentralization of administration offers the potential for localities to respond 35 18 Comments by the Government of Rwanda dated July 2011 on the draft report