A/56/258 11. Regarding some of the other recommendations made, the participants stressed the importance of ensuring that indigenous peoples and minorities had equal access to education, health and other basic services. It was suggested that educational and health services should be sensitive to the needs and cultures of the peoples concerned and that particular attention should be paid to assisting all indigenous peoples and minorities in Africa to combat HIV/AIDS. The participants also recommended that minorities be consulted when development policies were being formulated and implemented and that communities share in the benefits of development. A further recommendation called for indigenous peoples and minorities to have equal access to political structures, processes and public institutions. 12. A follow-up workshop on multiculturalism in Africa was held in Kidal, Mali, from 8 to 13 January 2001, at the conclusion of which the participants adopted a declaration containing recommendations, which they chose to call the Kidal Declaration on Indigenous Peoples and Minorities in Africa (E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2001/3, para. 61). In the declaration the participants recognized the complexity of the concepts of indigenous peoples and minorities in Africa and encouraged further dialogue among the different peoples of the continent on this issue. They also requested that particular action be taken by various entities. For example, recommendations addressed to African Governments dealt with the need to recognize the cultural identity and existence of indigenous peoples and minority groups in Africa and to combat the marginalization of indigenous peoples and minorities in the areas of education, health and development. With respect to developmental matters, the participants recommended that Governments recognize the need to build culturally appropriate development programmes in cooperation with indigenous peoples and minorities as a means of promoting their integration and ensuring peace and stability in the region. The recommendations also reflected the views of the participants that indigenous peoples and minorities were often the victims of conflict. In that regard, Governments were asked not only to support research on the causes of inter-ethnic conflict and the promotion of dialogue between indigenous peoples, minorities and Governments but also to support the role of women in peace-building initiatives as well as the building of partnerships between traditional elders and governmental authorities 4 at the local and national levels. One of the recommendations directed to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights was that consideration be given to the establishment of a regional working group on minorities. Several of the requests directed to OHCHR included the need to organize further workshops and seminars on multiculturalism, indigenous peoples and minorities in other subregions of Africa and to strengthen its ties with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on questions relating to indigenous peoples and minorities. Other recommendations included an appeal to non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples and minorities; to organize workshops and seminars to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities with a view to raising awareness and disseminating information about their situations and to participate in local, national, regional and international processes concerning indigenous peoples and minorities. V. Good practices in the fields of education and the effective participation of minorities in decision-making processes 13. In addition, to the aforementioned regional seminars held in Africa, the Working Group on Minorities supported two international seminars held in 1999 on the themes of education and participation. 14. Intercultural and multicultural education was the focus of a seminar held in Montreal, Canada, from 29 September to 2 October 1999. The participants in the seminar expressed the view that multicultural education met the separate educational needs of groups in society, while intercultural education aimed at developing educational policies and practices by which members of different cultures learned to interact constructively with each other. As such, intercultural education required that both the minority and majority communities learn about each other, their specific cultural characteristics, respective histories and the value of tolerance and pluralism. The participants were provided with details of different multicultural and intercultural curricula that had been developed. For example, reference was made to a common social studies curriculum formulated in Western Canada with the active involvement and contribution of