affect the Afro-descendant population is not easy. As a young Afro-Colombian, who has had to face 4 different forms of discrimination for being black, poor, woman and young, I have decided to play an active role to try to create more awareness about the importance of our rights. As young activists, we believe that it is necessary to invest much more in education, and by this we mean quality education. We need to be more empowered to have the capacity to work effectively in the implementation of the Declaration on minorities. Now is the time to really understand and respond to needs, priorities and aspirations of those who have been marginalized and do not have access to the economic opportunities available to other citizens. In that sense, the twentieth anniversary of the UN Declaration on Minorities brings a valuable opportunity to take stock of what has been done. This is how we are convinced that the effective participation of young people from minorities is fundamental in the fight against inequality, the reduction of poverty and the fight against exclusion. We have to listen to those who have historically been marginalized and promote their voices in decision-making. We believe that our effective participation in economic life deserves greater attention and we suggest that it be strengthened through the following recommendations: 1. We urge all interested parties to invest more in the training of young people from minorities and women, through the activation and financing of regional networks and innovative initiatives to promote economic participation. 2. We emphasize the need for governments to prioritize the development of sustainable and long-term work plans to improve access to micro-credit and support small and medium-sized enterprises run by people of African descent and Roma. 3. We strongly recommend that governments guarantee the conditions for a lasting and effective participation of people of African descent and Roma in economic life, which implies commitments of cooperation and equality between minorities and majorities. 4. We urge all forum participants to contribute to raising awareness of the Declaration of minorities through the active use of social networks and the design of outreach programs. Thank you.