existence of minority organizations and associations and the responsibility of the State to integrate their perspectives in its policies. UNPO welcomes the creation of consultation and negotiations mechanisms in several countries, which has increased cooperation between minority groups and governments. Nonetheless, we feel that there is still one major hurdle in numerous countries to achieve such cooperation and realize the objectives of the Declaration. Unfortunately this obstacle has not been included in any recommendations of the Forum since its creation. UNPO thinks it is necessary to incorporate into the draft recommendations the specific experiences of minority political and civil society groups facing situations of State-sponsored intimidation and oppression for their political activities, in particular through anti-terrorism laws. I will briefly introduce the issue before moving into concrete steps for action. It is well known that minority groups are often deliberately and collectively subjected to violence as a result of their identity. Likewise, minority groups and indigenous peoples often face violent reprisals from States when they engage in political life or set up civil society organizations. In numerous instances, States attempt to discredit their political