Other UN institutions are or have been engaged in related research, including: the UNESCO (management of multi-ethnic societies); UNICEF (on children belonging to minorities); UNRISD (on the relationship between economic and social development, and ethnic conflict); the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) (on human rights training and course materials on human rights reporting); and the UNU (United Nations University). The studies and research reports serve as sources of information and inspiration, and often but not always lead to policy- and decision-making in various UN forums for both the setting of new standards and the enhancement of monitoring methods. Minority issues appear in many human rights studies of the SubCommission. These are either devoted exclusively to minority rights or to some general human rights issues with minority rights components. Some studies related to minority issues include: • possible ways and means of facilitating peaceful and constructive approaches to situations involving minorities; • indigenous peoples and their relationship to land; • the concept and practice of affirmative action; • the rights of non-citizens; • indigenous peoples’ permanent sovereignty over natural resources; and • discrimination based on work and descent. For a full list of current studies by members of the SubCommission, with links to the relevant documents, see: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/ liststudrepts.htm 5.4 Technical cooperation The UN offers technical cooperation (also known as technical assistance or advisory services) to governments. This is intended to complement the various monitoring and investigative procedures. A variety of services are available MINORITY RIGHTS: A GUIDE TO UNITED NATIONS PROCEDURES AND INSTITUTIONS from the Crime Prevention Branch, OHCHR, UNDP, UNICEF and other secretariat units. The purpose is to provide practical assistance for the implementation of human rights at the national level, taking into account the international human rights standards. The expert assistance can include: assistance with drafting state reports to treaty monitoring bodies, drafting legislation, providing models for human rights education and teaching materials, reviewing existing legislation, setting up independent national human rights institutions, and training actors involved in the national implementation of human rights. The rights of minorities should be part of technical cooperation activities. A few technical cooperation projects have addressed situations involving minorities, for example: by adding a minority rights component to human rights education; designing action to combat ethnic, linguistic or religious discrimination; offering suitable training courses for law enforcement officials; and strengthening the means for national implementation of the international standards. As far as the UN secretariat is concerned, technical cooperation is rendered only at the request of a specific government. Some needs assessment projects undertaken by the OHCHR have identified minority rights as an area in need of attention; however, generally, minority issues have been addressed only on an ad hoc basis. This restrictive approach is largely a result of state reluctance to recognize minorities and minority rights. In this respect, there is definitely room and opportunity for improvement. Minorities have much to gain from bringing their legitimate demands to the attention of the respective UN departments, with the aim of putting pressure on governments. The respective UN policy- and decision-making bodies should be lobbied so that the secretariat can respond to requests from minorities and NGOs, if necessary in collaboration with the governments concerned. It is also important that the technical assistance activities of UN bodies, other international organizations and NGOs, be coordinated in order to enhance their effectiveness. 37