A/HRC/16/39 in the field of minority rights, human rights and policing, and international human rights law in general. 11. The consultation examined problems and effective practices relevant to the following areas: • Composition of the police • Recruitment and representation • The role of human rights training and professional support • Accountability of the police 12. The participants shared information on practices that had proved effective and on challenges faced in combating exclusion and moving towards greater participation and representation of minorities in the police service. The consultation also explored the meaning of the term “minority” in the light of the specific circumstances of the region. In this regard, the element of non-dominance was highlighted as a key factor in determining the scope of the term. The discussions touched on the three pillars of minority rights – identity, non-discrimination and participation – while focusing on effective participation in the light of its importance to the realization of all human rights of persons belonging to ethnic or national, religious and linguistic minorities. 13. Regarding the effective participation of minorities in policing, practices shared included methods to ensure that recruitment is based on qualifications and open to candidates regardless of their ethnic or religious background; new national laws, amended to allow for the participation in policing of minorities who are non-citizens; well-integrated training on human rights in police academies; and efforts to enhance open communication between the police and members of minority communities. The participation of women in the police in one country of the region was presented as an important example with positive implications also for minority communities. 14. Other effective practices included the creation of a specific complaint mechanism; easy access to public information; access to a free hotline made available in minority/migrant worker languages to assist in lodging grievances; questionnaires to evaluate the satisfaction of minorities with government services; and codes of conduct for police officers seeking to ensure respect for non-discrimination and equality. B. Training workshop on minority rights 15. In its efforts to build the capacity of civil society actors, OHCHR offers a fellowship programme for persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Through this programme, OHCHR gives persons belonging to minorities an opportunity to gain knowledge about the United Nations system and the mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular, with the expectation that they will pass on the knowledge gained. The programme is aimed at assisting organizations and communities to which the fellows belong in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities on the ground. The programme includes two linguistic components, one in English and one for Arabic-speakers. In 2010, the English-language programme was conducted from 12 April to 11 June, with participants from Colombia, France, Kenya, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. The Arabic-language fellowship programme will bring to Geneva (from 22 November to 17 December 2010) fellows from Egypt, Iraq Saudi Arabia and Yemen. 16. On 23 and 24 September 2010, OHCHR held a training workshop on minority rights for OHCHR staff in the Middle East – North Africa region and staff of the human rights 5