A/HRC/20/6 review, for example, offered an important opportunity to draw attention to challenges and to promote human rights standards in all countries. The Council had demonstrated its commitment to the promotion of the Declaration by establishing the Forum on Minority Issues in 2007, to provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on minority issues, which provided thematic contributions and expertise to the mandate of the Independent Expert and was required to identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration. B. Second sequence 21. During the second sequence, the Independent Expert on minority issues was asked, in her capacity as the recently appointed mandate holder, how she saw her role in encouraging more States to take additional measures in the constructive and inclusive development of practices and institutional arrangements to protect the existence of minorities and accommodate diversity within society. 22. In reply, the Independent Expert reiterated the obligation of Governments and, sometimes, the international community under international law to act rapidly and robustly to protect the physical existence of minorities when it was threatened. She mentioned various circumstances that could threaten the very existence of minorities in a State, such as forced assimilation rather than integration, which could result in some minorities being unable to openly use or learn their mother tongue, or freely practice their religion. Such policies impeded the identity and unique characteristics, cultures and traditions of minorities, and were contrary to the Declaration as well as to other human rights standards. These threats to identity, if left unchallenged, were immensely damaging to minority communities and also to inter-community relations, and could lead to tensions and even conflict. Implementing the Declaration and protecting the rights of minorities not only protected their physical existence and identity but, as the preamble to the Declaration stated, also contributed to the political and social stability of the States in which minorities live. 23. With regard to her mandate, the Independent expert referred to the important thematic work on key issues and giving guidance to Governments and other stakeholders to help them to protect the existence, identity and rights of minorities. She was particularly concerned about the situation of religious minorities in all regions, and would therefore address the rights and security of religious minorities as a thematic priority in the period 2012-2014. 24. Ms. Maiga was asked a question about on protection and promotion of identity. It was recalled that language was an essential component of personal identity and that, for many persons belonging to national minorities, language was one of the main factors of their minority identity and identification. The imposition by the State of strict official language proficiency requirements and the refusal to permit the use of minority languages could disproportionately affect certain minority communities, especially minority women, by denying to them the use of their mother tongue in administration, justice, education and public life. Ms. Maiga was asked what could be done at the national level to support and facilitate the use of minority languages as an essential component of identity. 25. In reply, Ms. Maiga stressed that, despite the financial constraints imposed on the educational system of many countries, more effort should be made to ensure that primary education and adult literacy schooling of national minorities were also conducted in the mother tongue. Developing language programmes open to all and of all ages would offer the opportunity for society to benefit from the contributions of women belonging to minorities. 7