A/HRC/61/41/Add.1 60. As Nepal finds itself in a period of political transition, it must seize the opportunity that lies before it to augment human rights protection for all parts of its society. The time is now to rebuild the trust in the Nepalese social contract. Minorities and Dalits must feel that they can trust State institutions to protect them, while Nepalese society as a whole must trust that the contributions of the currently ostracized people will enrich and uplift society as a whole. At the same time, minorities and Dalits must built trust in themselves through education and collective action to advocate for and realize their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. 61. The full realization of the rights of persons belonging to minorities or Dalits will be realized by their non-discriminatory access to economic and social rights in Nepal. The key to achieving this objective is to guarantee unhindered access to education in order to empower future generations so that they will be able to claim and fully enjoy their human rights, without any discrimination. Minorities’ and Dalits’ unhindered access to education is the gateway to building skills and confidence, while breaking through cycles of poverty that have prevented them from realizing the full enjoyment of their rights and their meaningful contribution to society as a whole. 62. State institutions must better reflect the diversity of Nepalese society in their composition and leadership. Minorities must be able to recognize themselves in those exercising power; they must feel heard and understood by public servants, including by teachers, judges and the police, including in their mother tongue languages. 63. Civil society organizations play a vital role in empowering minorities and Dalits. Civil society organizations have delivered programmes to educate minorities and Dalits about their human rights and how to claim them; they have supported their access to justice; they have provided interpretation and legal aid; and they have financially supported children to go to school by paying for school supplies and uniforms. They are essentially backstopping the Government in fulfilling its obligation to protect and promote Dalits’ and minorities’ human rights, including their right to education, to equality and non-discrimination and to a fair trial. The Special Rapporteur expresses profound concern that, in the current global funding crisis, civil society organizations are under significant pressure due to diminishing financial support. This is a worrisome trend, particularly for minorities and Dalits who often depend on civil society organizations to support them in claiming their rights, and at times, for their daily survival. 64. The donor community must efficiently support Nepal in designing and implementing empowering programmes conceived with and for the benefit of persons belonging to minorities and Dalits. A strong engagement and partnership with local authorities that have the task to deliver effective support to minorities and Dalits in the communities where they reside will be a key factor of success. 65. The Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government of Nepal to: International human rights obligations (a) Ratify the international human rights treaties that it has not yet ratified, particularly treaties with provisions that have direct relevance to persons belonging to minorities, including the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Protocol thereto, the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; (b) Withdraw the reservation to article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the declaration regarding article 6 of the Convention; (c) Extend a standing invitation to all United Nations special procedure mandate holders; GE.26-01953 17