A/HRC/13/23 the Forum. A panel of experts outlined obstacles to minority women’s political participation in different regions. Discussions focused on overcoming obstacles and how minority women, their communities, NGOs, Governments and the United Nations can collaborate to ensure that the right of minority women to effective political participation is realized. 11. The independent expert was a keynote speaker at an expert round table on “Racism in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Region: Old Issues, New Challenges”, held in Vienna on 20 March 2009 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The event aimed to develop recommendations for future work and discussed key aspects of the work of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights: developing tools for use by practitioners, and initiating dialogue and sharing expertise to better respond to challenges. The independent expert’s speech focused on “Emerging Trends, New Forms and Manifestations of Racism and Xenophobia.” 12. The independent expert served on the jury of the annual Max van der Stoel Award of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. The award is presented to a person, group or institution for extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in OSCE States. In 2009, the award went to the Integration and Development Centre for Information and Research from Crimea, Ukraine. 13. On 16 April 2009, the independent expert participated in a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) consultation on challenges facing indigenous and minority children. Held in New York, 60 participants aimed to: reach a common understanding about the engagement of UNICEF with indigenous and minority communities; identify a policy framework that would support and guide UNICEF work and advocacy at country, regional and global levels; and discuss ways to strengthen programme guidance and shed light on commonalities and differences in programmatic interventions, systematize experience sharing/knowledge management within UNICEF and with partners, and contribute to and benefit from international mechanisms and other partners.3 14. In relation to minorities and minority issues, UNICEF highlights that the consultation: led to an increased understanding of international human rights and policy frameworks and opportunities and challenges in influencing policies; took note of experiences and lessons learned in UNICEF programmes; presented the experience of UNICEF in forging partnerships and collaborations; provided perspective and clarity for improving the performance of UNICEF; and led to the development of specific recommendations and strategies in areas such as education, heath, discrimination, violence, participation, and monitoring and data collection, as well as a road map and action proposals on indigenous peoples’ and minorities’ issues. 15. On 9 December 2009, the independent expert participated in a meeting organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights entitled “Enhancing cooperation between regional and international mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights” in Washington, D.C. She participated as a panellist in the session on “Coordination on thematic issues between the international and Inter-American system of human rights”. 16. The independent expert delivered a speech at an event organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, New York, on the occasion of Human Rights Day, with the theme “Race, Poverty and Power: The impact of racial discrimination on development.” She underlined that discrimination on the basis of an individual’s ethnic, religious or linguistic identity is a potent causal factor in the disproportionate poverty 3 6 See e.g. http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_49328.html. GE.10-10198