of minorities around the world. She discussed how they face marginalization and stigmatization, and are enmeshed in conditions of structural vulnerability that can lead to discrimination, persecution, insecurity and, ultimately, violence. She highlighted the devastating consequences of these situations. She discussed how in 2009, the UN Secretary-General produced a comprehensive strategy for implementing the responsibility to protect principle based on three equal, mutually-reinforcing, and non-sequential pillars. She discussed how Pillar I focuses on the responsibility of States to protect their population, including minorities, and how it can be upheld in a number of different ways, including through ensuring inclusive and fair governance, protective legislation, equal access to justice, education, and participation in public life. Moreover, she recalled that States, international and regional organisations as well as other actors should play an important role by offering assistance to national authorities. She highlighted how under Pillar II there are three main forms of support, including: States should encourage each other to address the threats minority community face; international actors should build national capacities to inhibit atrocity crimes; and measures such as temporary military, civilian, and humanitarian assistance should be provided by the international community. Finally, she emphasised that the international community’s commitment to uphold the Responsibility to Protect is more important than ever in our globalised world, where populations are constantly changing and migratory flows are contributing to making States more and more heterogeneous, including in terms of ethnic and religious representation. Discussion The following issues were raised during the discussion under Item II: - States bear the primary responsibility for setting up national legal frameworks on the protection of minority rights in compliance with international human rights instruments, in particular the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and with equality and non-discrimination standards. - The importance of national legal framework, including Constitutions, prohibiting and punishing discrimination on any ground and protecting the fundamental human rights and freedoms of all individuals and groups, including minorities. - The need to strengthen communication and cooperation among different regional mechanisms specifically addressing issues pertaining to minorities and protecting minority rights. - The importance of cooperation between States and sharing of good practices on effective measures to implement legal standards protecting and promoting minority rights. - The need to integrate minority rights more effectively in the work of the United Nations, including the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. - The importance of respecting the principle of self-identification of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. - The importance to guarantee the right to acquire citizenship. 7