E/2001/27 E/CN.6/2001/14 women. Governments were urged to support gendersensitive macroeconomic policies, including for rural women, to enhance women’s empowerment and economic productivity and to address the link between unequal distribution of wealth and intolerance. Economic crisis and political instability could increase the vulnerability of marginalized and minority women to violence, and it was suggested that it sometimes lowered the likelihood that they would seek redress. 7. It was noted that failing to take account of the specific situation of women within their communities in the formulation of State policies, including to address racial discrimination, could compound the discrimination experienced by marginalized women. It was emphasized that laws and policies, including those aimed at achieving racial equality, should be analysed for their impact on women belonging to minorities and marginalized groups so as to ensure that they did not reinforce existing gender discrimination. 8. Cultural diversity was acknowledged to be an important value, but it was emphasized that violations of the human rights of women and the girl child, in particular harmful traditional and customary practices, could not be justified. The point was made that women might not report these and other abuses for fear of a backlash against their communities. 9. It was important that all women be provided with information about their rights in order to allow them to make informed decisions, including with regard to political participation in decision-making. In particular, migrant and indigenous women needed to be educated about their rights in order that they could be assured access to redress against all forms of discrimination in all spheres of public and private life. Legal and other procedures should also be simplified to ensure wide access to remedies and relief. It was emphasized that women should be seen not only as victims of the intersection of racial and gender discrimination but also as actors in combating racism and racial and other forms of discrimination. Groups of women who were particularly vulnerable to multiple discrimination should be provided with safe spaces or shelters. All efforts to promote racial equality also needed to integrate a clear commitment to gender equality in order to be effective. 10. Policies of multiculturalism had been introduced in a number of countries. While these policies were valuable, they needed to be based on the principle of equality as well as tolerance of diversity, and should take account of the dynamic, heterogeneous nature of minority communities. It was emphasized that such policies and programmes should also reflect the experiences of marginalized women in order to guarantee their full enjoyment of all human rights, with a special focus on their specific needs. It was noted that such programmes have proved to be particularly effective when designed and implemented with the participation of the women concerned, in particular indigenous and other marginalized women. Governments were urged to share information on effective programmes and good practices. 11. It was critical to understand the root causes of racism, including its links to social and economic instability, and to study further the consequences of racism for legal reform and the justice system, in particular with respect to gender-related violence, and the intersectionality of race and gender in approaches to diversity and addressing conflict resolution. 12. Participants recommended the collection of testimonies of women who had suffered from multiple forms of discrimination and the use of these testimonies in the development of concrete strategies and programmes to combat racism and racial and other forms of discrimination. 13. The need to combat racism, including subtle forms of racism and the importance of educating young people, was highlighted for all levels of education, including education for a culture of peace. It was also noted that the Internet had become a tool for disseminating racist material and images, but it was emphasized that the Internet could play an important role in anti-racism campaigns and as a tool to collect testimonies relating to multiple forms of discrimination. 14. Cooperation between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other treaty bodies, particularly the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, was regarded as critical, and further collaboration on the intersection of gender and racial discrimination was encouraged. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women took into account the concluding observations of other treaty bodies when considering State parties’ reports, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had adopted a 65