A/HRC/14/43/Add.2 combat all forms of discrimination, through the enactment of the General Equal Treatment Act, transposing a number of EU directives, and the establishment of the Federal AntiDiscrimination Agency. The Special Rapporteur considers that these legislative measures were important steps in creating a more robust framework to protect the victims of discrimination. Apart from creating justiciable rights, the enactment of the General Equal Treatment Act and the establishment of the Anti-Discrimination Agency also have an important symbolic role, demonstrating to society that racism and discrimination are unlawful and that such practices carry swift consequences. 64. Beyond these legislative reforms, the Special Rapporteur was particularly pleased to detect a change in the mindset of authorities at the highest levels, starting with the Chancellor, in recognizing that Germany is today a country of immigration. Such statements were not common only a few years ago, including when the Special Rapporteur’s predecessor visited Germany in 1997. This groundbreaking change in rhetoric and mindset has been well received by migrant communities, who previously felt that their decades-long contributions to Germany were not properly recognized by the population and the Government. In the Special Rapporteur’s view, these statements reflect a commitment from the authorities to address underlying challenges stemming from migration and to devise a new approach for the integration of migrants in German society, including through the National Integration Plan. While a number of challenges remain in the continuation of the fight against racism in Germany, the Special Rapporteur believes that the recognition of the place of migrants at the heart of German society is a step in the right direction towards addressing the root causes of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 65. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur was able to visit a wide array of projects that are being implemented at the grass-roots level across Germany. He was positively impressed with the innovative approaches that lie behind many of these projects, which directly contribute to addressing the root causes of racism and promote real integration, particularly for children and adolescents. Such projects are generally implemented in partnership with active civil society organizations and often supported by the federal or local governments, including through public funds. While preserving independence and civil society leadership in these actions, the Special Rapporteur believes that the key challenge at present is to integrate these actions into a broader, national strategy to create adequate structures for the integration of racial or ethnic minorities in Germany. 66. Despite the important progress achieved in the country since the visit of the former Special Rapporteur in 1997, particularly the reforms undertaken in the past three years, the Special Rapporteur wishes to point out a number of existing challenges that need to be met in order to further improve the framework to fight all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in Germany. 67. The Special Rapporteur is convinced that one of the central problems in furthering the fight against racism in Germany is the narrow understanding of racism in practice that for many years prevailed within society at large. Due to Germany’s historical experience, racism has traditionally been equated with extremist right-wing ideology and violence. This has posed a number of practical problems, such as a tendency to predominantly characterize as hate crimes those acts perpetrated by members of extreme right-wing groups, which results in many such acts being addressed solely as bodily injuries. While the challenge of eradicating such practices obviously remains relevant, the understanding of racism needs to be broadened in practice to take into account the changes that have occurred in Germany over the past half century, including the arrival of a large number of migrants of different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur believes that the question of racism should also be approached from the standpoint of structures and institutions that facilitate the integration of such migrants into German society and that 16 GE.10-11624