A/HRC/4/9 page 21 important focal point for indigenous minorities to liaise with UNDP and other United Nations agencies on priority issues. The municipal government has an equal responsibility to ensure minorities are engaged in decision-making. 88. In Aarhus, Denmark, 9.4 per cent of the population are minorities originally from non-EU countries. In 2005 Aarhus City Council adopted principles for a new integration policy and will be conducting a series of consultations in 2006 and 2007 with ethnic minority representatives (plus the existing “Integration Council”) to devise better systems for minorities to access local services. In 2000, the Council adopted a 10-year employment strategy for refugees and migrants that have worked with local businesses to bring employment levels of refugees and migrants to that equal to other groups.32 89. National strategies for Roma have figured prominently in Central and Eastern Europe, in particular under the auspices of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, in which nine participating States are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.33 States pledge to achieve stated goals for the improvement of the socio-economic status of Roma by 2015 (coinciding with MDGs). Roma representatives have inputted into the process from the early stages and have been involved in the international Steering Committee of the Decade and preparation of country action plans. The capacity of Roma and Governments to make this Decade a success needs to be greatly strengthened. 90. In Brazil, a National Affirmative Action Programme to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted in 2002, resulting in development specific programmes to address inequalities experienced by Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples. A Special Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality (SEPPIR) was created in 2003 to advise on implementation of the national strategy. The proposed legislation on a Statute on Racial Equality (PL 6264/2005) provides for affirmative action in the form of quotas for Afro-Brazilians and indigenous people in higher education and public service. Under the Statute, 20 per cent of the spaces in public and private universities would be reserved for Afro-Brazilians. One study reports that educational inequalities can explain the 48 per cent wage gap and some 26 per cent of income inequalities.34 91. Where they exist, national strategies for improving the human development of persons belonging to minorities will often combine mainstreamed and targeted programmes. It is important that majority communities feel they too can benefit from these processes. Transparency about policy is key and disaggregated data helps to mandate targeted policies. Engaging majority communities alongside minority communities in community-level 32 Anne Marie Larsen, “Integration at local level - the example of Aarhus/Denmark”, in Equal Voices, Issue 19, (October 2006): pp. 24-28. 33 34 See www.romadecade.com. Barrios et al., cited in supra note 15, Public Policy Responses to Exclusion: Evidence from Brazil, South Africa and India, p. 10.