- Education and dialogue as some of the most effective tools to help prevent sectarian violence and foster religious tolerance and understanding; Different ways by which States can prevent hate crimes and the fact that dissuasive penalties should be in place to prevent incitement to violence or hatred; The importance of citizenship rights and their implications on many other rights for religious minorities; The importance of a strong constitution providing for the rights of religious minorities; Recognition of dignity of every person and of their equal rights as any other citizen to participate in all spheres of life and then implementation of practical steps through education, dialogue and solidarity making coexistence possible; The important role played by human rights defenders in raising awareness and protecting religious minorities; The need for religious minorities to be able to appoint their own religious leaders, rather than those appointed by the State, to help foster confidence in inter-faith dialogue; The lack of recognition of religious minorities as full contributing elements to societies as a root of the problems that they face; The importance to ensure that legislation and policies, including anti-terrorism laws, do not arbitrarily target specific religious minorities; The key role played by United Nations early warning mechanisms such as the Special Adviser for the prevention of Genocide and the importance for States to collaborate with such mechanisms; The importance of implementing the Declaration and other relevant standards and principles for the rights of religious minorities to be protected in practice; Issues surrounding conscientious objectors; The need to review and amend personal laws to bring them in line with international standards; The need to protect places of worship, including in conflict situations; The importance of the principle of self-identification for all religious minorities; The situation of minorities within minority groups; The importance of the legal framework, including of a strong Constitution providing for the legal basis for promoting and protecting the fundamental human rights and freedoms, including minority rights. Item IV. Promotion and protection of the identity of religious minorities This session was devoted to the identification of effective practices to ensure the protection and promotion of the identity of religious minorities so that they can freely maintain and develop their religious and cultural practices and traditions. The discussion looked into opportunities to protect religious minorities through the promotion and protection of their culture and language, including by taking measures in the field of education. The session also considered the specific challenges that women belonging to religious minorities may face, both within and outside of their religious communities. 8