A/HRC/23/24 25. In addition, the Special Rapporteur was informed of the adoption of national plans of action and policies to combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia and to promote the social integration of individuals belonging to minorities. He welcomes these initiatives and appreciates the number of programmes specifically launched by some States to combat extremism, racism and xenophobia, specifically in the educational sphere and among youth and marginalized communities. 26. The Special Rapporteur also welcomes the numerous awareness-raising activities that have been conducted by States to foster tolerance and respect for cultural diversity, to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and to strengthen intercultural dialogue. These measures include the organization of cultural events, art festivals of national minorities, exhibitions, concerts, forums and seminars, and the publication of books and brochures promoting cultural diversity. The Special Rapporteur encourages such initiatives, which offer space for further intercultural dialogue and interaction. Other initiatives, such as information broadcasts on television and the Internet aimed at promoting acceptance and tolerance among different ethnic groups, are also appreciated. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that the mainstream media in some countries have started to recognize the cultural value of diversity and to promote the idea of improving the living and working conditions of members of minorities. 27. The Special Rapporteur was also informed about numerous educational activities taken by States in response to the rise of extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups, as well as similar extremist ideological movements. He stresses the need for human rights education to address the root causes of racism. 28. On a similar note, the Special Rapporteur welcomes initiatives developed by civil society organizations, such as educational activities aimed at unmasking extremist ideologies in secondary schools and monitoring racially motivated crimes in football stadiums. 29. Lastly, the Special Rapporteur stresses that cooperation with relevant international and regional human rights mechanisms and with civil society is also important. He appreciates the engagement of States with regional and international human rights mechanisms, including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Special Rapporteur encourages States to continue to play an active role in countering extremist political parties, movements and groups through further cooperation with relevant regional and international human rights mechanisms. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 30. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his appreciation for the efforts made by States to counter extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neoNazis and skinhead groups, and similar extremist ideological movements. While good practices have been identified, important challenges remain that require greater efforts and increased vigilance from States. The continued growth of extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazi and skinhead groups and similar extremist ideological movements, continues to pose major human rights and democratic challenges. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his concern about the impact the current economic and financial crisis has had in different parts of the world by further aggravating this trend. He acknowledges that a number of efforts have been made by States and civil society in order to address the problem, but more need to be made to effectively counter such a phenomenon, which threatens 8