E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.6 page 11 people of African descent remain historically invisible as part of the heritage of discrimination and racism. The system of dominant values marginalizes the traditional cultural and spiritual values and practices of these groups. The task of building genuine multiculturalism, egalitarian, interactive and democratic, therefore constitutes a major challenge for Nicaraguan society. V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 24. The Special Rapporteur, while aware of the absence of institutional racial discrimination and the progress made in multiculturalism in Nicaragua, wishes to make the following recommendations designed to maintain the momentum of the planned reforms and open up new prospects for enhanced participation by the various ethnic groups: (a) Taking into account the perceptions of the population groups which consider themselves victims of discrimination, the Government should at the highest level formally recognize the existence of racial discrimination and make a commitment to combating it; this would give a strong moral and political signal to the population groups involved and the country as a whole; (b) The Government of Nicaragua should make a firmer commitment to combating racial discrimination, particularly by developing in a democratic manner, with the participation of the communities concerned, a global programme of action against racism and racial discrimination and for the building of a multicultural, egalitarian, democratic and interactive society inspired by the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. This programme, while taking account of progress towards multiculturalism, should include effective measures for the representation of the ethnic and indigenous communities within State bodies, to counter the profound consequences of racial discrimination in the areas of education, health and housing; a programme of positive discrimination to the benefit of the indigenous and Afro-Nicaraguan peoples should form the core of this global programme of action; (c) Efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination should be based on an information policy targeted on the population groups suffering discrimination, as much in relation to their rights and the remedies available as on the Government’s policies and programmes; in this context, the population groups should be informed of the Government’s international commitments in the sphere of human rights and efforts to combat racism, through the extensive dissemination of the relevant international instruments, the final document adopted in Durban and the periodic reports submitted by the Government to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD); in relation to the media and their impact on the shaping of perceptions, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the media should adopt a code of conduct and ensure that Nicaragua’s ethnic diversity is reflected both in their programmes and in their leadership and management structures; the State and the media should vigorously encourage the establishment of local and community media; (d) The specialized agencies of the United Nations should assign efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination a central place in their projects and programmes in Nicaragua and provide assistance in the drawing up of the global programme of action against discrimination; special support should be given to governmental projects which