A/HRC/RES/13/12 contributes to the alleviation of tensions, serves the purpose of conflict prevention and increases stability and social cohesion, 1. Urges States to review, enact and amend their legislation, where necessary, as well as their educational policies and systems, to ensure the realization of the right to education, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to eliminate discrimination and to provide for equal access to quality education for persons belonging to minorities, in particular minority children, while protecting their identity, as enshrined in the Declaration, and promoting integration, social inclusion and a prosperous and stable society; 2. Also urges States to develop appropriate mechanisms for effective participation of and consultation with persons belonging to minorities in order to take into account their views in decision-making processes affecting them, with a view to promoting greater participation in the political processes of the country and providing inclusive, informed and sustainable policymaking and implementation; 3. Welcomes the successful completion of the first two sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues addressing the right to education and the right to effective political participation and which, through the widespread participation of stakeholders, provided an important platform for promoting dialogue on these topics, and as part of its outcome identified in its recommendations best practices and challenges for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and encourages States to take into consideration, as appropriate, relevant recommendations of the Forum; 4. Commends the independent expert on minority issues for the work undertaken to date, for the important role that she has played in raising the level of awareness of and in giving added visibility to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and for her guiding role in the preparation and work of the Forum on minority issues, which contributes to efforts to improve cooperation among all United Nations mechanisms relating to the rights of persons belonging to minorities; 5. Takes note of the reports of the independent expert (A/HRC/10/11 and A/HRC/13/23) and of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/9/8, A/HRC/10/38 and A/HRC/10/38 Add.1) providing, inter alia, an overview of minority-related activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other United Nations mechanisms, such as the treaty bodies and the special procedures; 6. Welcomes the inter-agency cooperation of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes on minority issues, led by the Office of the High Commissioner, and urges them to further increase their cooperation by, inter alia, developing policies on the promotion and protection of rights of persons belonging to minorities, drawing also on relevant outcomes of the meetings of the Forum; 7. Invites the human rights treaty bodies and special procedures of the Council to continue to give attention, within their respective mandates, to the situations and rights of persons belonging to minorities and, in this regard, to take into consideration relevant recommendations of the Forum; 8. Requests the High Commissioner to present an annual report to the Council containing information on relevant developments of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, as well as on the activities undertaken by the Office of the High Commissioner at Headquarters and in the field that contribute to the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities; 2