A/HRC/16/29 enumerating and measuring minority populations keeping gender stratification in mind. The tool begins with a discussion on existing practices of defining and measuring gender and minority status. It highlights the measurement of challenges and concludes with some recommendations for more consistent data collection and analysis on gender and minority status. 28. It is important to underline how the paper recognizes that producing reliable data may be problematic due to the lack of confidentiality. It is also important to note that despite the provision of individual data protection, minority individuals may still not be confident enough to disclose their real identities due to distrust towards Government claims that individual data are intended for fair treatment rather than discrimination. The paper recommends that the free and self-declaration of respondents remains an essential principle in the collection of official data on migrant and ethno-cultural characteristics of individuals. 29. The paper also highlights that in some countries, it is sensitive to directly identify minority status by race, ethnicity or religion. In these countries it may be useful to use the country of birth (parents’ country of birth or ancestry) as a proxy for ethnicity to identify the ethno-cultural characteristics of minority groups. It also specifies that where data collection is by self-completion forms, clear instructions to respondents need to be communicated appropriately. Finally the paper suggests that involvement of minority communities in the data collection is helpful to establish trust and improve data quality. VIII. World Health Organization: Health Equity and Ethnic Minorities in Emergency Situations (2007) 30. In Health Equity and Ethnic Minorities in Emergency Situations the World Health Organization presents two types of experiment on the development of intersectoral action applying a broad approach to public policy and a human rights-based approach to ethnic groups in Colombia. The first type includes projects applied generally to these communities, primarily “Aboriginal or Afro-Colombian”, using strategies in which the human rights approach methodology was not made explicit. The second type includes projects with an explicitly defined ethnic human rights-based approach, where cultural perspectives of the community were considered and programmes were adapted to their needs. The lessons drawn from the experiments are proposed as tools in implementing programmes for reducing inequality in health services among the most vulnerable population groups and in particular ethnic groups. The main finding is that projects that make specific reference to ethnic minorities and use a human rights-based approach are more successful in addressing the causes of discrimination and in providing equal access to health care. 31. The creation and adoption of an emergency and disaster relief care plan for “Aboriginal or Afro-Colombian” communities in diminishing the vulnerability and exposure of ethnic minority populations to the internal armed conflict also proved particularly effective. Moreover the coordination and integration of the initiatives of the development sectors involved have led to increased recognition at the national level of the need for affirmative action to benefit “Aboriginal, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Romani peoples”. IX. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: “Early Warning Indicators” (2007) 32. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has established an early warning mechanism to draw the attention of Member States to situations where racial 8