A/51/536 English Page 5 11. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in pursuance of resolution 50/180. II. PROMOTION AND PROTECTION BY STATES OF THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS BELONGING TO NATIONAL OR ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS AND LINGUISTIC MINORITIES 12. The information received from Austria, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Lithuania, Mauritius, San Marino, Switzerland and Ukraine is summarized below, in accordance with the principles contained in the Declaration. A. Protection of the existence of persons belonging to minorities (articles 1.1 and 1.2) 13. The Government of Austria stated that it guaranteed constitutional protection for ethnic groups in Austria to maintain and develop their own identity, with particular reference to their language and culture. Such legislative protection was provided for at federal and Länder levels. Germany guaranteed the rights of persons belonging to minorities under its constitution, the Basic Law. Under that Law, minorities were entitled, without discrimination, to foster their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion and to use their own language both in private and in public. Furthermore, the constitutions of five Länder of Germany contained provisions relating to national minorities and ethnic groups and/or national and ethnic minorities which were given substance through statutes, ordinances, laws and administrative practice. 14. The Government of Lithuania stated that it provided protection of the existence of persons belonging to minorities through the Constitution and the Law on National Minorities. The Government of Mauritius stated that the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities were guaranteed through a combination of constitutional provisions, which were fully compatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, statutory legislation and common law. The Government of Ukraine reported that the existence, identity and characteristics of minorities were protected by the new Constitution, the Declaration on the Rights of Nationalities, the Citizenship Act, the National Minorities Act, the Education Act, the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations Act, and the Fundamentals of Ukrainian Legislation on Culture. B. The right to enjoy their own culture (article 2.1) 15. The Government of Austria stated that some Länder provided television and radio programmes in minority languages such as in Slovene. Kärnten organized, for example, an annual international congress for ethnic groups, and a cultural week for members belonging to the Slovene ethnic group. Cultural and language programmes on Austrian radio and television were broadcast in seven languages other than German. Germany promotes the culture and language of minorities and /...