E/C.12/1/Add.100 page 5 E. Suggestions and recommendations 33. The Committee urges the State party to take immediate and appropriate measures to ensure the independence and integrity of the judiciary. It also requires the State party to provide detailed information in its next periodic report with regard to court cases that dealt with economic, social and cultural human rights. 34. The Committee recommends that the State party take effective and practical steps to ensure effective protection of indigenous people against discrimination in many fields, especially with regard to employment, housing, health and education. It also requests that the State party include in the next periodic report information on the impact of programmes aimed to ensure economic, social and cultural rights to indigenous people and data regarding any progress made in this respect. 35. The Committee strongly urges the State party to ensure that indigenous people participate in decisions affecting their lives. The Committee particularly requests that the State party consult and seek the consent of the indigenous people concerned prior to the implementation of natural resources-extracting projects and on public policy affecting them, in accordance with ILO Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. The Committee strongly recommends that the State party implement legislative and administrative measures to avoid violations of environmental laws and rights by transnational companies. 36. The Committee urges the State party to undertake immediate steps to ensure equal opportunities for Afro-Ecuadorians, particularly with regard to employment, housing, health and education and to provide detailed information in its third periodic report on progress achieved. 37. The Committee urges the State party to conduct research on the possible reasons for the high disability rate and provide detailed information in its third periodic report with respect to such causes as well as the progress made to ensure the fulfilment of the economic, social and cultural rights of people with disabilities. 38. The Committee urges the State party to adopt all effective measures to ensure equality between men and women in all fields of life as provided for in article 2, paragraph 2 and article 3 of the Covenant, including through implementing the principle of equal pay for work of equal value as provided for in the Covenant, increasing the level or representation of women in public services and reducing the wage gap between men and women. The Committee requests the State party to provide detailed information on the progress made on gender discrimination issues in its third periodic report. 39. The Committee urges the State party to take effective steps to reduce the unemployment rate as well as the percentage of employment in its informal economy. 40. The Committee urges the State party to take the necessary measures in order to ensure that the minimum wage enables workers and their families to enjoy an adequate standard of living and that the minimum wage standard is effectively enforced.