Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities A/RES/68/172 Welcoming the guide for advocates on promoting and protecting minority rights published by the Office of the High Commissioner, which provides information on main actors working on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in the United Nations and in key regional organizations and which constitutes a valuable tool for advocates working on this issue worldwide, Recognizing, in this context, the important role played by the Independent Expert in promoting the implementation of the Declaration, 1. Reaffirms the obligation of States to ensure that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities may exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law, as proclaimed in the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, 7 and draws attention to the relevant provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, 8 including the provisions on forms of multiple discrimination; Urges States and the international community to promote and protect the 2. rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as set out in the Declaration, including through the encouragement of conditions for the promotion of their identity, the provision of adequate education and the facilitation of their participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and cultural life of society and in the economic progress and development of their country, without discrimination, and to apply a gender perspective while doing so; Urges States to take all appropriate measures, inter alia, constitutional, 3. legislative, administrative and other measures, for the promotion and implementation of the Declaration, and appeals to States to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally, in particular on the exchange of best practices and lessons learned, in accordance with the Declaration, in order to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; 4. Also urges States to undertake initiatives to ensure that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities are aware of and able to exercise their rights as set out in the Declaration and in other international human rights obligations and commitments; 5. Recommends that States and other relevant actors ensure to the fullest extent possible that the Declaration is translated into all minority languages and disseminated widely; 6. Calls upon States, while bearing in mind the theme of the fifth session of the Forum on Minority Issues, and with a view to enhancing the implementation of the Declaration and to ensuring the realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, to take appropriate measures by, inter alia: (a) Reviewing any legislation, policy or practice that has a discriminatory or disproportionately negative effect on persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities with a view to considering its amendment; _______________ 7 8 Resolution 47/135, annex. See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I. 3/7