14  •  Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and to include them in environmental decision-making, in line with Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 1992. 6. Conflict prevention, peacemaking, conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy initiatives 40. Exclusion, in particular from participation in state administration, is among the main precipitating factors of both new conflict and conflict recurrence. There are clear links between violations of minority rights and the increased likelihood of conflict. The protection of minority rights is a crucial factor in preventing conflict and in promoting sustainable peace when conflict has occurred. Therefore, to be successful and sustainable, conflict prevention, peacemaking, mediation, conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy initiatives will need to centrally address concerns and rights of persons belonging to minorities with respect to, among other things, return and reintegration, citizenship, political representation, housing, and educational and security institutions. All UN interventions in these areas need to be informed by a thorough analysis and mapping of the different dimensions of exclusion, including their gender dimension, and their relative contributions to conflict risk. They should also be based on thorough awareness of the international standards on minority rights. 41. It is essential that the four key pillars of minority rights are observed— protection of existence, non-discrimination, protection of identity and participation—as each has a role to play in maintaining stability in countries. Where relevant, the UN should place addressing political and social exclusion at the center of its conflict resolution strategy. Building on the 2012 “Guidance for Effective Mediation”,12 this includes strengthening local ­capacity to undertake conflict resolution; promoting the participation of e ­ xcluded groups in political processes, such as peace negotiations or national dialogues; identifying partners to help build the capacity of civil society groups representing excluded constituencies to engage effectively; using different forms of media to inform and engage excluded groups; promoting power sharing agreements that ensure the representation in government of excluded groups and promoting the inclusion of provisions in peace agreements that address exclusion and discrimination as underlying drivers of violent conflict. 42. With identity-related tensions being at the core of so many conflicts in today’s world, measures aimed at preventing and resolving conflict, and at sustaining fragile peace, are likely to have to address discrimination issues. The UN work on conflict prevention and resolution should encourage parties to explore comparative practices and find genuine solutions to address each specific circumstance. At the same time, particularly in the realm of diversity management, UN good offices should always take into account the short-term and long-term implications for different groups of 12 The United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation was issued as an annex to the Report of the Secretary-General on “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution” (A/66/811, 25 June 2012).