E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2001/2 page 13 4.2 States shall take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs, except where specific practices are in violation of national law and contrary to international standards 56. This paragraph of article 4 calls for more than mere tolerance of the manifestation of different cultures within a State. The creation of favourable conditions requires active measures by the State. The nature of those measures depends on the situation of the minority concerned, but should be guided by the purpose set forth in article 4.2, which is twofold. On the one hand, individual members of the minority shall be enabled to express the traditional characteristics of the group, which may include a right to use their traditional attire and to make their living in their own cultural ways. On the other hand, they shall be enabled, in community with other persons belonging to the group, to develop their culture, language and traditions. These measures may require economic resources from the State. In the same way as the State provides funding for the development of the culture and language of the majority, it shall provide resources for similar activities of the minority. 57. The words “except where specific practices are in violation of national law and contrary to international standards” require some comment. The meaning of the words “contrary to international standards” is simple enough. In particular, it is intended that the practices must not be contrary to international human rights standards. This, however, should apply to practices of both majorities and minorities. Cultural or religious practices which violate human rights law should be outlawed for everyone, not only for minorities. The qualification contained in the final words of the last sentence of article 4.2 is therefore only a specific application of a universal principle applicable to everyone. 58. The first part of the sentence “in violation of national law” raises somewhat more difficult questions. It is clear that the State is not free to adopt whatever prohibitions against minorities’ cultural practices that it wants. If that were the case, the Declaration and article 4.2 in particular would be nearly empty of content. What is intended, however, is to respect the margin of appreciation which any State must have regarding which practices it wants to prohibit, taking into account the particular conditions prevailing in that country. As long as the prohibitions are based on reasonable and objective grounds, they must be respected. 4.3 States should take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to have instruction in their mother tongue 59. Language is among the most important carriers of group identity. In line with the general requirement in article 1 that States shall encourage the promotion of the linguistic identity of the minority concerned, measures are required for persons belonging to minorities to learn their mother tongue (which is a minimum) or to have instruction in their mother tongue (which goes some steps further). 60. The steps required in these regards depend on a number of variable factors. Of significance will be the size of the group and the nature of its settlement, i.e. whether it lives