A/HRC/4/9 page 16 62. Minority rights are human rights and consequently form an integral part of HRBA. The fact that minority rights are highlighted in the Millennium Declaration is significant. It is a clear recognition that protection of minority rights is an important foundation for building peaceful, equitable and democratic societies. 63. Respect for minority rights can improve the effectiveness of poverty reduction strategies because the causes of poverty for minorities are often linked to the violation of these rights. Many examples illustrate this. A person belonging to a minority may encounter employers who will not hire people noticeably from minority groups. When applicants complain about this practice, appropriate authorities fail to investigate. Under-resourced schools lack instruction in the mother tongue of minorities, so minority dropout rates are high. The Government offers financial benefits to the poorest, but details are not published in minority languages. When municipal government is deciding where to invest resources, there are no minority representatives and the desperate need for improved services in areas where minorities live is not discussed. 64. These are daily challenges for poor minorities in all countries. Using HRBA can help to identify how these challenges are linked to a range of human rights issues such as discrimination, access to justice and education, freedom to express a cultural identity or participation in decision-making. Through HRBA, overcoming poverty is understood as more than a question of economic growth. Including a minority rights perspective in HRBA gives an even stronger formula for beginning to address the complex factors that cause poverty for minorities globally. 65. Two key aid modalities shape international development cooperation today - the targets contained in the universally agreed MDGs and the nationally owned PRSPs. The two modalities are understood to be intertwined: PRSPs are the vehicle for achieving MDGs which provide concrete targets for PRSPs. They are particularly useful vehicles that should be used to improve the lives of minorities and ensure their inclusion in poverty alleviation policies. 66. All countries have committed to working towards achievement of MDGs by 2015. Both donor countries and countries receiving development assistance produce periodic reports on the steps they are taking to reach MDGs. A total of 143 States have submitted one or more MDG Country Reports.24 Some 52 countries have produced PRSPs (or Interim PRSPs) and donors seek to assist such countries with the realization of the policies set forth in the PRSP. 67. MDG Country Reports and PRSPs are intended to be summary documents of a much more complex set of actions and policies. They nevertheless serve as useful proxies to identify the priorities and processes of a given State in its efforts to eradicate poverty and promote human development. A review of MDG Country Reports and PRSPs can give insight into the kinds of issues and interventions that governments have identified as important for their national policy on human development. This in turn can help reveal whether problems faced by particular groups or regions are being overcome through specially-considered programmes on the ground. 24 As of 1 November 2006.