A/HRC/34/53/Add.2 educational centres at the university level that conducted studies and research on language, including Moldovan. X. Conclusions and recommendations 92. The Republic of Moldova is a multi-ethnic, multireligious and multicultural society in which the individual identities of persons belonging to minorities are often multiple and multilayered. It is crucial that this inherent diversity is valued as an important asset and strength of the country. 93. Although for the most part peaceful inter-ethnic and interfaith relations prevail and there is a legislative framework generally conducive to the protection of minority rights, a deepening divide along ethnic, linguistic and other communal lines, coupled with political and financial instability and the politicization of the use of languages, have led to heightened tensions in recent years and might threaten peaceful coexistence if not adequately resolved. 94. Realizing the rights of minorities is not only an essential means to prevent tensions from emerging but also constitutes an instrumental element of good governance. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to make minority rights protection and promotion an important and robust part of its public agenda and human rights planning. 95. The Republic of Moldova has made important efforts in shaping a legal and institutional framework to protect and promote minority rights. Those efforts need to be complemented with targeted and strategic actions for an actual implementation. Dedicated and sufficient budget provisions for plans, the strengthening of institutional attention to minority issues, continuous communication and consultation with minority groups and regions with relevant minority populations and the promotion of diversity, including through the reform of the school curriculum, are key to achieving the required results. Census 96. The 2004 census is largely outdated and the Government should make all the arrangements necessary to allow the National Statistics Bureau to process the data and publish the results of the 2014 census as a matter of urgency, and to provide data disaggregated by, inter alia, gender, ethnicity, language and religious affiliation. Such an analysis can be crucial to highlight the vulnerability of the different population groups and to enable legislators and policymakers to establish targeted programmes for them. Legal and institutional framework 97. The Republic of Moldova has adopted a number of laws, strategies, action plans and policies to protect and promote integration of ethno-linguistic groups. The Law on the Functioning of Languages has been applied to regulate language use since 1989. The 2001 Law with Regard to the Rights of Persons belonging to National Minorities and Legal Status of their Organizations sets a basic framework for minority rights protection. The 2012 Law on Ensuring Equality is ground-breaking in the prevention of and fight against discrimination and in ensuring equal rights in political, economic, social, cultural and other aspects of life, including for minorities. “Report on Human Rights” (footnote 33 above). 19