certain groups of people including Syrian, and other refugees from the Middle East. Profiling based on origin and ethnicity not only constitute a violation of the right to nondiscrimination but also lead to further violations of the rights of populations who are in need of international assistance as per existing international provisions on humanitarian assistance and asylum. In order to safeguard the rights of minorities, States have already enacted a variety of laws to prohibit discrimination. At the international level, several human rights instruments exist to this end. At the national level, some States have adopted laws; policy and institutional frameworks to tackle racial profiling. I would like to share some examples of these legal measures with you today. In the United Kingdom, the Equality Act 2010 unifies existing non-discrimination laws under a single act, establishing a legal framework to protect the rights of individual and advance equal opportunity. The Act applies to all organizations providing a public service including police, customs and excise, tax, health and safety and immigration, as well prison and probation services. Its aim is to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization by advancing equality of opportunity for minority groups and fostering good relations between minorities and the rest of the community. In the United States, the Department of Justice last year updated its Guidance Note that highlights good practices and establishes mechanisms to combat racial and ethnic profiling in law enforcement at the federal level. The Guidance Note stipulates that enforcement officers may not use race or ethnicity to any degree in a specific suspect description. While the note does unfortunately not apply to state and local authorities, which conduct most of the law enforcement work, I am pleased to report that the Guidance Note has now been applied by the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence agencies. In Sweden, the Aliens Act provides that a person may not be stopped or checked solely on account of skin colour, name, language or other similar characteristics. Institutional frameworks and police codes of conduct have been set up in France and Austria that prohibit discrimination by national police forces, including those carrying out immigration and counter-terrorism functions.