A/49/415/Add.1 English Page 19 with individual complaints, but studies trends and general problems of inequality, on the basis of which it provides advice to the proper authorities. The Board also plays an awareness-creating role, for example, by organizing meetings and conferences. The Board is currently working in four main areas to promote tolerance and ethnic equality: the media, the labour market, the police and judiciary, and the welfare and health sectors. 88. The Government of Sweden stated that the 1994 Act to Counteract Ethnic Discrimination contains two prohibitions of improper treatment on ethnic grounds: because of race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin or religious creed. One prohibition covers the treatment of job applicants and the other the treatment of employees. The chief sanction against violations of the discrimination prohibition was compensation. In the Local Government Act, there are provisions intended to guarantee that all inhabitants in a municipality are treated equally and that matters are dealt with in a democratic manner. The principle of equality of treatment is fundamental and an appeal may be lodged against any municipal decision that rests on an inequitable foundation. 89. The Penal Code contains several different provisions on unlawful discrimination against a person on the grounds of his or her race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin or religious creed. Furthermore, as a result of a recent change in the Penal Code, a new provision has been added, according to which an aggravating circumstance was added for the increase in the severity of the punishment if a crime were committed from the motive to offend a person or a group because of race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, religious creed or any similar circumstance. 90. In accordance with the relevant legislation, citizens of Ukraine who are members of national minorities have the right to be elected or appointed, as the case may be, on an equal footing to any position in the organs of legislative, executive or judicial power, local or regional government, in the army, in enterprises and in institutions or organizations. The Ukrainian State takes responsibility to ensure conditions for equal development of national minorities in ethnic, cultural, language, religious and other fields. 91. The Government of Yugoslavia stated that every citizen of Yugoslavia, whether a member of a minority or majority group, was equally entitled to share in the distribution of power at all levels under equal conditions. J. Mechanism, procedure and other measures to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities 92. The Governments of Denmark and Germany stated that, since the number of votes cast for the Schleswigsche Partei was no longer sufficient to give the minority a mandate in the Danish national parliament, the Folketing, the Government of Denmark in 1983 set up a secretariat for the minority in the parliament and Government in Copenhagen. The head of the secretariat is elected by the minority. There is also a contact committee comprising representatives of the Folketing, the Government of Denmark and the German minority and chaired by the Danish Interior Minister. The committee usually meets once a year to discuss any problems that might arise, as well as the general situation of the /...