A/HRC/10/11 page 13 of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Ms. Dubravka Šimonovic, chair and expert member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; Mr. Patrick Thornberry, expert member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; Ms. Barbara Wilson, expert member of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and Ms. Mona Zulficar, expert member of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. 37. The independent expert will seek to continue and to enhance her consultation and cooperation with the chairs and expert members of relevant treaty bodies. She welcomes future opportunities to identify possibilities and modalities through which the recommendations of the Forum may become most useful to the work of treaty bodies, taking into account their established processes and working practices. The independent expert wishes to engage the treaty bodies including in regard to the extent to which the recommendations may benefit States and committees in regard to State reporting on issues relevant to minorities and the right to education. 38. The independent expert greatly welcomes and values the substantive engagement and participation of United Nations specialized agencies in the Forum, including UNESCO, UNICEF and UNDP. The Forum benefited in particular from the close collaboration of the independent expert with UNESCO, which in cooperation with the Organisation internationale pour le droit à l’éducation et la liberté de l’enseignement (OIDEL), held a thematic debate on “Overcoming Inequalities in Education: the Importance of Inclusion” as a side event for Forum participants during which they presented conclusions and recommendations of an international conference held on 25 November 2008 on the subject of inclusive education. The independent expert expects that substantive collaboration with relevant specialized agencies will continue to attract increased attention to minorities and the right to education within the scope of their work. The substantive engagement of specialized agencies in the shaping of the recommendations of the Forum will help to ensure that they are meaningful to their ongoing activities in the field. 39. The mandate of the independent expert requires her to cooperate closely, while avoiding duplication, with regional organizations. She therefore notes with appreciation the engagement and participation in the Forum of representatives of regional organizations including: the African Union, the Council of Europe Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. She notes the attention paid by these regional intergovernmental organizations to minority issues and the education rights of minorities. She greatly values the regional perspectives which they contributed. In addition, she welcomes the participation of representatives of national human rights institutions who were accredited participants, including those of Fiji, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Southern Sudan, Sweden, and Switzerland. 40. On the basis of the provisions of resolution 6/15 and in the wider context of promoting implementation of the Declaration in all regions, the focus of discussions was broadly based around three core elements: identification of challenges and problems facing minorities and States; identification of good practices in relation to minorities and education; and consideration of opportunities, initiatives and solutions. A set of draft recommendations was prepared and circulated prior to the Forum. The draft recommendations were developed in collaboration with Patrick Thornberry who was formally appointed as Rapporteur of the Forum. The draft further