Promotion and Education “Recalling that an effective strategy against racism, … and intolerance resides to a large extent on awareness-raising, information and education of the public …” ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 2, Preamble. PART I The minority ombudsman should: - develop good practice guides in the field of implementation of minority rights - develop or promote training and teaching of minority rights - develop and promote anti-racism, anti-xenophobia and pro-tolerance campaigns in cooperation with the media - be involved with promotional activities and education. “A national institution shall … assist in the formulation of programmes for the teaching of, and research into, human rights…” Paris Principles, Principle 3(f). Underlying the entire idea of the ombudsman institution in general, and the minority ombudsman institution in particular, is the task of educating the public and the public authorities. The minority ombudsman has a role to play in initiating public debates concerning recognition of minorities and tolerance, and can initiate campaigns for teaching the public about the rights of minorities, but it should also have an educational role even in the case of solving individual complaints and by making public the results of its investigations, by eventually publicizing good practice and by criticizing acts of abuse. Many ombudsman institutions recognize the educative role as one of their important functions. Education can be effected through individual persuasion but also through indirect impact: through annual reports presented to parliament or the appointing state department; through codes of conduct; through standards of good practice in the different fields that are provided for the employees of relevant bodies, for offices or for any other concerned party. The aim should not only be to improve general practices but also to establish benchmarks, so that authorities can regulate their own practices. Promotional powers are understood by the 1997 ECRI Recommendations to include providing information and advice to relevant bodies and institutions, counseling actors of specific relevant areas on standards of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting and participating in the training of different key societal groups on tolerance, anti-racism and anti-discriminatory practices, promoting awareness in society of issues of discrimination, including preparation and distribution of information and materials and, finally, supporting and cooperating with organizations that have objectives similar to that of the specialized body. 35