A/HRC/20/6 50. One delegate referred to the status of the two national languages as being equal, in addition to English, which amounted to the three “major” languages being recognized in the country. In this regard, the State had adopted a 10-year plan of action to motivate the population to acquire language skills in all three, in order to consolidate further the implementation of the official languages policy and to make a valuable contribution to building bridges between communities and strengthening national unity. The State regarded this approach as a key factor in the reconciliation process ongoing in the country. The Official Languages Commission conducted audits to monitor the status of implementation of the official languages policy and to ensure that public services were provided in all three languages. With the aim of protecting the rights of minorities and promoting social integration through understanding and mutual respect, the Ministry of National Languages organized multicultural programmes and religious festivals with the participation of all ethnic groups. 51. A delegate fully concurred with the view that language was an essential component of personal identity and identification. Speaking on behalf of a State, the delegate asserted that States had a duty and responsibility to support and facilitate the use of minority languages. The State making the intervention had taken several initiatives to protect the identity of the various minority groups in the country, including by establishing vernacular schools at the primary level. In addition to conducting classes in minority languages at public universities, ethnic studies were compulsory for all students to ensure understanding of the multicultural environment of the country. 4. Further comments by States and non-governmental organizations on the implementation of the Declaration on Minorities 52. One delegate stated that, with the minorities in all of its neighbouring States slowly disappearing, the State had a real stake in the full and universal implementation of the Declaration, which sets the essential principles on which protection of the rights of minorities is to be built. In this vein, the State called on all States to take the provisions of the Declaration fully into account when drafting legislative and policy measures concerning national minorities living on their territories, in particular with regard to article 1 of the Declaration. 53. A delegate of another State stated that, although at the European level there was tendency to neglect the Declaration, the fact remained that, at the international level, it was still the text of reference. In this regard, it was very important that, in the work being undertaken by the Independent Expert on minority issues and by the Forum on Minority Issues, the importance of the Declaration be reinforced in the implementation of its principles. 54. Reflecting the view of the State, a delegate stated that the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration would not be complete if the Human Rights Council did not to pay tribute to the work of Professor Asbjorn Eide, the former Chairman of the Working Group on Minorities of the Subcommission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities who had prepared the most comprehensive and far-reaching commentary to the Declaration. The delegate highlighted some of the most important features of the commentary in understanding the application of the Declaration: longer existing minorities might have stronger rights; the rights set out were individual rights, the duties of States towards minorities were in part formulated as groups and, in some cases, could be best implemented by arrangements for different types of autonomy; and the linguistic identity of minorities should be preserved by States to the maximum of their available resources. The delegate highlighted that these conclusions of the commentary should guide the work of States with regard to minority rights. 12