UNITED NATIONS • Forum on Minority Issues
nomadic communities who are least likely to have traditional documentation or proof
of long-term residency in electoral districts.
26. Where citizenship is a requirement for voting, election to political office or
appointment to a position in the public service, there should be a reasonable process
for attaining such citizenship that is clearly defined, widely communicated and
non-discriminatory with regard to race, ethnicity or religion. The process should not
be prohibitive or present deterrents, such as being unduly lengthy, costly or otherwise
burdensome for persons who meet the equirements.
27. Efforts should be made to accommodate the political participation of
documented and regular migrant workers at the municipal level. This may include
recognition of voting rights in municipal elections or the creation of special
consultative bodies at the municipal level for enabling dialogue on issues of concern
to migrants.
28. Respect for individual human rights must be the context within which measures
to promote minority participation are taken; no one should suffer any detriment due to
his or her membership or non-membership in a minority, including in systems of
regional autonomy.
29. Parliaments are encouraged to establish special parliamentary committees to
address issues of particular importance to minorities, and to enhance legislative
attention to these issues.
B.
Political parties
30. Political parties should be aware of the diversity of the society and/or
communities that they represent and make active efforts to take concrete steps to
reflect such diversity. They should adopt policies that recognize the importance of
reflecting diversity in their work, and develop plans to increase the level of minority
participation within their ranks.
31. Political parties should adopt codes of conduct to prohibit inflammatory racist
rhetoric and racist political platforms, not only during campaign periods but also
between elections. Furthermore, there should be internal party mechanisms with the
capacity to impose strong sanctions against party candidates who violate such codes
of conduct.
32. Political parties with a national or broadly based constituency should develop
strategies for more effective outreach to potential supporters and constituents within
both majority and minority communities. They should allocate resources to
determining the specific needs of members of minorities to facilitate their full
participation in political, economic, social and cultural life. Parties should actively
seek to ensure that all groups in society are aware of minority concerns, and should
provide opportunities for meaningful consultation among all groups within society.
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Compilation of Recommendations of the First Four Sessions 2008 to 2011