A/51/536 English Page 16 a joint working paper on article 7 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Article 7 calls on States Parties to adopt immediate and effective measures, particularly in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating prejudices which lead to racial discrimination and to promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and racial or ethnic groups. The working paper is to be submitted to the two bodies at their respective sessions in August 1997. Resolution on the protection of minorities 55. The Subcommission adopted resolution 1996/17 on the protection of minorities in which, inter alia, it endorsed the recommendations of the Working Group on Minorities at its first and second sessions; urged the Working Group to continue to act as the main forum for consideration and possible resolution of problems between minorities and Governments, as well as among minorities themselves, drawing on the expertise of scholars, among others, including those present at its sessions; invited the Working Group to elaborate on the content and scope of the rights contained in the Declaration; invited the Working Group to increase its cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights with a view to strengthening his preventive activities and enhancing his responses to minority situations warranting urgent action; and encouraged States to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between and among minorities and majorities, and to provide information to the Working Group on mechanisms established for that purpose. C. High Commissioner/Centre for Human Rights 56. The High Commissioner/Centre for Human Rights has been continuing to assist the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Commission and the Subcommission in the effective promotion of the Declaration. 57. Promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities constitute an integral and significant part of the High Commissioner’s mandate as set out in General Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993. More specifically, in its resolution 49/192 of 23 December 1994, the General Assembly entrusted him with the responsibility to promoting the implementation of the principles contained in the Declaration and continuing to engage in a dialogue with Governments concerned for that purpose. Protecting the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities is also an imperative deriving from the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993. 2/ The World Conference reaffirmed the obligation of States to ensure that persons belonging to minorities might exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law in accordance with the Declaration. 58. The High Commissioner has adopted a programme of activities on the protection of persons belonging to minorities. The framework for this programme has been defined by the mandate of the High Commissioner, which can be divided into three major interrelated and overlapping activities in respect of which he /...