-4- improving learning of the official language. I also provide advice on how to balance the preservation of culture and identity of minorities with the need for minorities to be fluent in the official language, or languages, in order for them to be fully engaged in public life and realize their full potential in society, wherever they live. We have been promoting approaches that favour multilingual education. Countries and regions that embrace multilingualism tend to have better educational outcomes, perhaps reflecting a more accepting attitude to other languages. At the same time, I’m aware that solutions to the complex issues of national minority education are contextspecific: HCNM recommendations cannot provide a universal solution to resolve all issues. They provide for a framework of dialogue that governments and national minorities can refer to when negotiating what is acceptable for both the majority and the minorities. As I engage with many countries in my region, I have noticed that the importance of investment in education policies that value diversity is increasingly acknowledged, as our societies grow more diverse. However, this has still insufficiently materialized in practice, and has created a need to better showcase positive models, of which numerous examples exist. Still, as a result of increasing political polarization – both within and between States – many still believe that the only tool for integration is the promotion of the State language. As a result, education laws and reforms are still too often shaped with that objective in mind and implemented without effective consultations with minority communities. This has created, and is still creating, tensions and frictions within societies and between States. Together, we must join our efforts and expertise to demonstrate that in the long term only a balanced approach will produce stability and prevent future crises. I believe that here today we have an opportunity to influence government policies with sound and balanced recommendations in the field of education. Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to your discussions.