E/CN.4/2001/83 page 22 90. The Special Rapporteur sent a communication to the Government of the United States on 14 June 2000 in which she inquired about the possibility of an invitation to visit the country to get a complete picture of migration across the Mexican border and thus submit a balanced report to the Commission on Human Rights. 91. In a letter dated 8 December 2000, the Government of the United States sent an invitation to the Special Rapporteur to visit the country in conjunction with her Mexican visit. 92. The Special Rapporteur intends to visit the Asian region and Africa in 2001. In this connection, she sent a communication to the Philippine Government on 18 December 2000 in which she expressed her interest in visiting the country and requested an invitation to do so. D. Participation in the preparatory work for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance 93. The Special Rapporteur took part as an expert in the Regional Seminars of Experts held in Addis Ababa from 4 to 6 October 2000 and in Santiago de Chile from 25 to 27 October 2000. She submitted a number of recommendations and observations on the situation faced by migrants as a result of xenophobia, racism and racial discrimination in host and transit countries. 94. During the meetings in which she took part, the Special Rapporteur placed particular emphasis on the unfortunate relationship between the two questions and, for example, recommended that States should establish training programmes in schools in cooperation with civil society, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to prevent racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance towards migrants. States must recognize the problem in order to find an effective solution. Most migrant groups are subjected to structural discrimination that is reflected in various kinds of exclusion and fewer employment opportunities. The Special Rapporteur therefore calls on countries to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which is a basic instrument embodying specific elements relating to the protection of nationals abroad, vulnerability to abuse, slavery-like work and trafficking in persons. 95. At all the meetings she attended, the Special Rapporteur urged States to prevent the law from discriminating against any person. In particular and in the area of concern to her, she appealed to States to eliminate the obstacles that prevent migrants and all persons from enjoying the right to equality under the law, by ensuring that protection and defence mechanisms operate in the same way for everyone without discrimination as to race, origin, sex or religion. 96. The Special Rapporteur also referred to the specific problems of migrant women, drawing the attention of the Governments present at the preparatory meetings for the World Conference to the need to implement policies to guarantee the integration of migrant women in all sectors and close off possibilities for discrimination and abuse.