E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.2 page 17 of racial discrimination. The Special Rapporteur therefore believes that combating racial discrimination should be a cornerstone of the process of building peace and democracy in Guatemala. A true and lasting peace cannot be reduced to its political and legal dimensions, as formulated in the peace agreements and subsequent laws; if it is to be achieved and to be really lasting, it must be based on efforts to eradicate racism and racial discrimination by taking appropriate measures while promoting reconciliation. The Special Rapporteur therefore makes the following recommendations: (a) Given the pervasiveness of racism and racial discrimination, the Special Rapporteur believes that a bold political act is needed to demonstrate the Government’s determination to eliminate this evil. The President should make a solemn statement formally recognizing the existence and the social, economic and cultural consequences of these phenomena and should express the Government’s commitment to eliminating them on a democratic basis and with the participation of the indigenous peoples and people of African descent concerned; (b) Moreover, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government should go beyond this formal recognition of the country’s ethnic diversity by writing it into the Constitution, in accordance with the Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples; (c) Having noted the lack of coordination between the institutions and government departments responsible for combating racism, as well as the lack of financial resources or the inadequate allocation of resources, the Special Rapporteur recommends that an integrated approach should be taken to combating racism and racial discrimination, by drawing up a national programme to combat racism and discrimination and simultaneously promoting an egalitarian, interactive and democratic form of multiculturalism, with a view to building a society based on ethnic and cultural pluralism that encourages dialogue and interaction between all its members. Such a programme should be based on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; (d) The relevant provisions of the peace agreements, particularly the Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, should be subjected to a critical evaluation to determine their achievements and shortcomings. In this context, combating racism and racial discrimination should be linked to the long-term promotion of multiculturalism based on the principle of unity and diversity, the recognition and promotion of, and respect for, the identity-related, ethnic, spiritual and cultural characteristics and peculiarities of all peoples and communities, and the promotion of a process of interaction and cross-fertilization between them all; (e) Given the profound and long-lasting impact of racism and discrimination on the structure of Guatemalan society, the Special Rapporteur recommends the adoption of a programme of voluntary or affirmative action in favour of peoples who have historically suffered from discrimination, that is, indigenous peoples and people of African descent;