A/54/303 promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and groups; and article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the rights of children belonging to minorities. members of certain minority groups in the area of housing, health and employment; the denial of citizenship to many minority groups; and the persistence of racial hatred and acts of violence towards persons belonging to minority groups. 9. On the basis of the reports received from States parties, the committees entrusted with overseeing the effective implementation of the above-mentioned international instruments, namely, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, adopted concluding observations on the implementation of minority-specific rights. In particular, the committees commended States parties on the measures adopted in the field of minority protection, raised a number of issues of concern in connection with the reports, and made recommendations calling upon the Governments concerned to adopt measures to improve the situation. 12. In their concluding observations, the relevant committees recommended to States parties that: racial attitudes be overcome and that the Government initiate proceedings where any pattern of discrimination is identified; education be provided in minority languages; members of minority communities be guaranteed the enjoyment of their right to cultural identity and traditional livelihood; persons belonging to minorities be given equality of treatment with the majority; minority participation in the design, organization and functioning of the educational system, in particular at the secondary and higher educational levels, and the training of teachers of minority languages in public establishments be encouraged; free compulsory education be provided; the rights of all minority groups with regard to their right to participate in national political and economic life and to practise and teach their culture be fully respected; and, measures to prevent discrimination against children belonging to minorities be reinforced. 10. In their concluding observations, the committees welcomed the following measures adopted by States parties: the constitutional, legislative and administrative measures taken to respect and ensure the rights of persons belonging to minorities, in particular their right to develop their language and enjoy their own culture; the existence of advisory boards for minority affairs; the right of primary and secondary level students to be taught in their mother tongue; the increase in minority participation in political, administrative and cultural institutions; and the adoption of bilateral treaties concluded between States to protect respective minority groups. With regard to the non-discrimination provisions contained in the international instruments, the committees welcomed the adoption by a number of States of anti-discrimination legislation; the positive measures taken by some States in the field of law reform in order to combat various forms of racial discrimination against ethnic groups; the affirmative action policy adopted towards certain ethnic communities; the teaching of children and adolescents, and public awareness campaigns, promoting tolerance and openness towards ethnic minorities; and the prevention of discrimination against children on the basis of ethnic origin. 11. With reference to a number of the reports of State parties, the Committees expressed concern in regard to the following: a number of States parties deny the existence of minority groups within their territory; the destruction of land traditionally belonging to minority groups; the lack of education provided in minority languages; and the exclusive use of the national language in areas of public activity. With regard to racial discrimination, the Committees expressed concern at the continuing de facto discrimination against 13. Further details are available in the more recent reports of the Human Rights Committee,1 the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2 the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination3 and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.4 General comment on article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 14. At its sixty-sixth session, the Human Rights Committee completed consideration of its general comment on article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to freedom of movement. The text of the general comment will be formally adopted by the Committee at its sixty-seventh session, to be held at Geneva from 18 October to 5 November 1999. 15. The general comment provides an interpretation of article 12 which refers to the right of everyone lawfully within the territory of a State to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence, the freedom to leave any country, including his own, and not to be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country. 16. A number of issues included in the general comment are of specific relevance to the rights of persons belonging to minorities. For example, the Committee has held that an alien 3