their role in policy and decision-making in the public and private spheres and shared their positive grass-roots experiences, including as role models. Discussions also focused on measures taken to enhance the mainstreaming of women’s rights in minority groups’ discourses and how women’s organizations are integrating the rights of minorities in their overall work and activities. Ms. Shaista Gohir, board member of Muslim Women’s Network UK, noted that little attention is paid to Muslim women’s successes and achievements and stressed the importance of celebrating and highlighting these as a strategy to advance rights and raise aspirations of young girls, and break down stereotypes. Following a brief overview of barriers that Muslim women in Britain face, she pointed out that, for the first time in 2010 a Muslim woman was included in the government cabinet and three were elected to parliament. Muslim women are participating at all levels in civil society and in diverse sectors, including the police, the army, as district judges, lawyers, teachers, scientists, engineers, bankers. There are Muslim female actors, television presenters, comedians, writers and other participating in sports. When Muslim women are given opportunities, they are taking them, hence the need for more opportunities to be created. Ms. Gohir highlighted examples of good practices, focusing on initiatives promoting role models, including Muslim female role models going into schools to speak to and mentor Muslim girls and exhibitions showing role models which are used by schools, libraries, and women’s groups. They have developed posters and produced booklets highlighting role models. A website called “Big Sister”, highlights Muslim female role models from around the world and from diverse sectors and is used as a resource in schools, universities and workshops. She concluded with the following recommendations: more Muslim women need to be empowered to challenge religious extremist rhetoric; Muslim women living in the West as minorities are being neglected and need to be connected to each other so they can work on the similar challenges that they face; more resources need to be created to highlight role models in the education curriculum. Ms. Angie Cruickshank, director of the Association of Costa Rica Caribbean Project and coordinator of the first African Descent Youth Summit 2011, focused her presentation on the situation of women and girls of African descent in the Americas and the significant problems that they continue to face in areas critical to their full development. She insisted on the need for disaggregated data as a fundamental tool for decision-making and informed policy development and implementation. She also underlined the need to continue to promote the political participation of minority women at all levels, including within political parties and government institutions as well as the need to mainstream a generational component in the development and implementation of public policies and cooperation to ensure the active participation of young women in economic and political empowerment. She mentioned that the participants to the first African Descent Youth Summit had reaffirmed in the Declaration of San José various aspirations, including: develop strategic plans to combat the selective structural violence against the youth of African descent, particularly against girls, adolescents and young 22