be supported, for instance, through capacity building that will make the livelihoods more market-accessible, such as the development of cooperatives, language training and better management and marketing strategies. How poverty is measured could also be culturally-sensitive, taking into account differing cultural perspectives of what constitutes poverty. For example, some communities may prioritise security of land rights over increased income as a measure of improvement in their standard of living. Overall, it is important that development proposals are evaluated for their impact on the cultural and religious identity of minorities to ensure that development does not become a vehicle for involuntary cultural erosion and assimilation. Key Messages  Disaggregated data can be collected to monitor any increase or decrease in inequality for minorities  Discrimination is a key barrier to achieving MDG 1  Minorities have a right to participate in development planning that affects them  Cultural identity rights can impact on livelihoods, land rights and food access or use MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education Minorities continue to face disparities in access to education and are less likely to complete a full course of schooling. In some cases, there is a reluctance of parents and children to enrol in schools where children face discrimination and/ or that fail to provide culturally relevant education. These obstacles prevent the achievement of MDG 2 and contribute to long-term problems of unemployment, cultural erosion and social deprivation. Many of these obstacles can be overcome through the application of minority rights (see also section 3.4.1 of this Guide on education rights for minorities). There are several factors that contribute to poor access to education for minorities. These include the following: lack of mother-tongue education; poor provision of schools and qualified teachers in minority regions; prohibitive costs of school fees that disproportionately impact on minorities (as the poorest groups); curricula that do not reflect community priorities for learning; and discrimination by teachers and/ or pupils. The obstacles for minority girls will be even greater (see discussion under Goal 3). The disparities in access to primary education for minorities were noted by UNDP Serbia: All indicators measuring universal primary education show that this goal [on primary education] has already been achieved in Serbia, with net enrolment in primary education at 95%… [However], a large difference exists between standards in urban and rural schools, particularly with regard to accessibility for ethnic minorities, including Roma children. See http://www.undp.org.yu/mdg/default.asp The MDG country reports of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, China, Hungary, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam mention minority education. Baseline data is needed to measure existing inequalities in access to education for minorities. The challenge remains as to how to address such disparities. Two key issues are resource implications and cultural identity. MDG 2 strategies must address these issues simultaneously. Chapter 4: Minorities in Development 39