ANNEXES 6. The Committee further calls upon States Parties with indigenous peoples in their territories to include in their periodic reports full information on the situation of such peoples, taking into account all relevant provisions of the Convention. General Recommendation XXIV on Article 1 (55th session, 1999) 1. The Committee stresses that, according to the definition given in article 1, paragraph, 1, of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention relates to all persons who belong to different races, national or ethnic groups or to indigenous peoples. If the Committee is to secure the proper consideration of the periodic reports of State parties, it is essential that States Parties provide as far as possible the Committee with information on the presence within their territory of such groups. 2. It appears from the periodic reports submitted to the Committee under article 9 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and from other information received by the Committee, that a number of States Parties recognize the presence on their territory of some national or ethnic groups or indigenous peoples, while disregarding others. Certain criteria should be uniformly applied to all groups, in particular the number of persons concerned, and their being of a race, language or culture different from the majority or from other groups within the population. 3. Some States Parties fail to collect data on the ethnic or national origin of their citizens or of other persons living on their territory, but decide at their own discretion which groups constitute ethnic groups or indigenous peoples that are to be recognized and treated as such. The Committee believes that there is an international standard concerning the specific rights of people belonging to such groups, together with generally recognized norms concerning equal rights for all and non-discrimination, including those incorporated in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. At the same time, the Committee draws the attention of States Parties that the application of different and nonobjective criteria in order to determine ethnic groups or indigenous peoples, leading to the recognition of some and refusal to recognize others, may give rise to differing treatment for various groups within a country s population. 4. The Committee recalls recommendation IV, which it adopted at its eighth session in 1973, and paragraph 8 of the general guidelines regarding the form and contents of reports to be submitted by States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, of the Convention (CERD/C/70/Rev.3), inviting States Parties to endeavour to include in their periodic reports relevant information on the demographic composition of their population, in the light of the provisions of article 1 of the Convention, that is, as appropriate, information on race, colour, descent and national or ethnic origin. General Recommendation XXV on gender related dimensions of racial discrimination (56th session, 2000) 1. The Committee notes that racial discrimination does not always affect women and men equally or in the same way. There are circumstances in which racial discrimination only or 34 primarily affects women, or affects women in a different way or to a different degree than men. Such racial discrimination will often escape detection if there is no explicit recognition or acknowledgment of the different life experiences of women and men, in areas of both public and private life. 2. Certain forms of racial discrimination may be directed towards women specifically because of their gender, such as sexual violence committed against women members of particular racial or ethnic groups in detention or during armed conflict; the coerced sterilization of indigenous women; abuse of women workers in the informal sector or domestic workers employed abroad by their employers. The consequences of racial discrimination may primarily or only affect women, such as pregnancy, and in some societies ostracism, as the result of racial bias-motivated rape. Women may also be further hindered by a lack of access to remedies and complaint mechanisms for racial discrimination because of gender related impediments, such as gender-bias in the legal system and discrimination against women in private spheres of life. 3. Recognizing that some forms of racial discrimination have unique and specific impact on women, the Committee will endeavour in its work to take into account gender factors or issues which may be interlinked with racial discrimination. The Committee believes that its practices in this regard would benefit from developing, in conjunction with the States Parties, a more systematic and consistent approach to evaluating and monitoring racial discrimination against women, as well as the disadvantages, obstacles and difficulties women face in the full exercise and enjoyment of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights on grounds of race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin. 4. Accordingly, the Committee, when examining forms of racial discrimination, intends to enhance its efforts to integrate gender perspectives, incorporate gender analysis, and encourage the use of gender-inclusive language in its sessional working methods, including its review of reports submitted by States Parties, concluding observations, early warning mechanisms and urgent action procedures, and general recommendations. 5. As part of the methodology for fully taking into account the gender related dimensions of racial discrimination, the Committee will include in its sessional working methods an analysis of the relationship between gender and racial discrimination, by giving particular consideration to: a) the form and manifestation of racial discrimination; b) the circumstances in which racial discrimination occurs; c) the consequences of racial discrimination; and d) the availability and accessibility of remedies and complaint mechanisms for racial discrimination. 6. Noting that reports submitted by States Parties often do not contain specific or sufficient information on the implementation of the Convention with respect to women, States Parties are requested to describe, as far as possible in quantitative and qualitative terms, factors affecting and difficulties experienced in ensuring for women the equal enjoyment, free from racial discrimination, of rights under the Convention. Data which has been categorized by race or ethnic origin, and which is then disaggregated by gender within those racial or ethnic ICERD: A GUIDE FOR NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS