Two of these treaties contain minority-specific provisions: Article 27 of ICCPR is the most widely accepted legally binding provision on minorities and provides basis for the UN Declaration on Minorities. Article 27 reads: In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language. The article grants persons belonging to minorities the right to a national, ethnic, religious or linguistic identity, or a combination thereof, and to preserve the characteristics they wish to maintain and develop. Although the article refers to the rights of minorities in those States in which they exist, its applicability is not subject to official recognition of a minority by a State. States that have ratified the ICCPR are obliged to ensure that all individuals under their jurisdiction enjoy their rights; this may require specific action to correct inequalities to which minorities are subjected. Article 30 of CRC provides a similar standard for minority children: In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language. Given the wide ratification of the ICCPR and the CRC, almost every State in the world has a legally-binding obligation to protect minority rights based on its voluntary commitments under international law. 11.3 UN TREATY BODY MECHANISMS: In order to implement the rights provided for in the different UN human rights treaties, human rights treaty bodies (committees) monitor the progress made by States parties in the fulfilment of their obligations to bring national laws and state practice in line with international human rights law. States parties submit periodic reports to the respective committees outlining the legislative, judicial, policy and other measures which they have taken to ensure the enjoyment of, inter alia, the minority-specific rights contained in the relevant instruments. On the basis of the information they receive, the committees may pursue a dialogue with the reporting State. Once consideration of a State report has been concluded, the committees issue “concluding observations”. The concluding observations outline the positive steps the State party has taken in implementing the convention and make recommendations on those areas where the State is failing to fully meet its commitments. The committees also hold thematic discussions and adopt general comments/recommendations, which provide guidance on specific issues relating to the conventions. In relation to minority rights, several General Comments/ Recommendations stand out:      HRC General Comment No. 23 on the Rights of Minorities (Article 27) CESCR General Comment No. 20 on NonDiscrimination in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article. 2, paragraph 2) CERD General Recommendation No. 27 on Discrimination against Roma CERD General Recommendation No. 29 on Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Convention (Descent) (focusing, inter alia, on discrimination on the basis of caste and analogous systems) CERD General Recommendation No. 30 on Discrimination against Non-Citizens Chapter 11: UN Standards and Mechanisms 151