A/HRC/34/53/Add.3 for the full implementation of their mandates. Recruitment of staff from diverse ethnic and religious communities should continue to be encouraged. The Office of Missing Persons should be established swiftly and transparently. Minorities commission 66. The Special Rapporteur also recommends that the Government establish an independent commission on minorities under the Constitution. The commission should have a clear mandate, powers, resources and autonomy, and a diverse workforce that includes representatives of minority communities. Its mandate should enable it to provide expert advice in legislative drafting and policymaking processes; advise and formulate necessary legislative changes as well as implementation measures; have an interministerial coordination role in recognition of the need to mainstream minority issues across policy areas; undertake promotional and educational activities; develop good practice guides, information resources and reports; develop campaigns and outreach relating to minority rights; conduct needs assessments to identify the needs of minority communities, monitor their situation and serve as a bridge and trust-building platform between minority communities and the Government; and facilitate arbitration, dialogue, national debate and activities to prevent and find solutions to ethnic- or religion-based tensions. Political participation and inclusive governance 67. The overwhelming sense of marginalization felt by minorities must be addressed by taking immediate measures to ensure their participation and representation in public life, particularly in shaping decisions that affect them. Effective and meaningful participation of all groups in the political arena confers trust and legitimacy in governance and can be a pivotal element in reducing community tensions and segregation. While there are a number of ways in which political participation of minorities can be achieved, including the devolution of certain powers by means of a federal arrangement, a system of reserved seats in Parliament and facilitated participation in the electoral process of political parties representing the interests of minorities, it will be important for any future electoral reform to ensure proportional representation for all minority groups on the basis of accurate data collection and disaggregation. The modality for political inclusion must afford minorities genuine influence and not simply tokenism, which may lead to deeper frustrations. 68. The Special Rapporteur also urges the Government to consider measures aimed at ensuring that government and provincial offices, law enforcement bodies, the armed forces and education and health institutions are truly reflective of the diversity within Sri Lankan society by including members of ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities at all levels, with particular attention to those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination such as women and lower caste groups. This may be achieved through mandatory quota systems, especially at the federal level, as well as targeted affirmative action in training and recruitment programmes. Separate departments within institutions established for and composed of minorities may also be a possibility. 69. The Special Rapporteur proposes that the Government, as a first step towards systematic and institutionalized inclusion, consider establishing a system of bilingual community liaison officers, to be placed in every public institution, including provincial administrations, police forces, education and health facilities and the armed forces, among others, to help overcome language barriers and to form a bridge between their respective communities and State institutions. The inclusion of women 17

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