The Director of the Democratic Governance Group, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, gave a presentation on “UNDP work on electoral systems” first referring to the development of the “UNDP Resource Guide and a Toolkit on Minorities in Development” which will be launched early 2010. Recalling that supporting elections is an important element of UNDP’s work and that there had been a shift to providing electoral assistance around the electoral cycle concept; she listed some of the lessons learned as follows: - the type of electoral system has long-term implications for accountability, inclusiveness and representation; - while proportional representation systems give a premium to inclusion over exclusion and to broad versus narrow representation, majoritarian systems can encourage national cohesiveness and direct accountability links between representatives and their constituents; - any electoral system should take into account whether the country is deeply divided along political, geographical, religious or ethnic lines and ensure that minorities are fairly represented in the political system; - discussions relating to electoral system reform should involve consultations with all political groups, civil society and electoral management bodies; - gender equality should be considered in debates regarding electoral reform; - the choice of electoral system is never a purely technical one as there is no single best system to fit all contexts. On the role of political parties, UNDP shared the following lessons learned: - the decision to ban political parties that purport to represent an ethnic, tribal, or racial identity in some countries may contribute to a sense of alienation among minority groups that can contribute to tensions and violence, or may be regarded as an unjustified limitation on the rights of persons belonging to minorities; - it is important to evaluate how political parties that define themselves as broadly “nationalist” define the political community and whether they are sufficiently inclusive; - political parties’ capacity to analyse issues from a gender perspective should be developed; - positive measures such as quotas, should be supported and promoted as a possible strategy to address discrimination against women. Discussion The Chairperson opened the floor for discussion 12 . During the discussion under item VI, participants raised the following issues: ƒ Close attention should be paid to strengthening legal framework and putting in place the necessary measures to ensure participation of minorities ƒ Importance of implementation of international human rights law 12 The list of speakers, and when available the full text of their presentations, can be found on the Forum’s website at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/minority/oral_statements_forum_minority_2009.htm 17