Forum on Minority Issues 10 th Session Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America November 30 - December 1, 2017 Thank you, Chairperson. The United States welcomes this opportunity to address the Tenth Forum on Minority Issues. We look forward to a productive and meaningful exchange of ideas and best practices over the next two days on efforts that States can take to address the important concerns of minorities, particularly minority youth. While recognizing that every state, including the United States, has a lot of work to do, we would like to highlight some of the steps, among many, that the United States has been taking in the areas that are the focus of this forum: inclusive education, participation in public and political life, media in the digital age, and sustaining peace and stability. In recognition of the limited time and a large number of participants in this forum, we will limit our interventions to this statement, which addresses the themes to be discussed by the panels. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION The mission of the U.S. Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. As part of its mission, the Department administers both longstanding and new grant programs that encourage and support inclusive education. For example, the Magnet Schools Assistance Program is a federal program “designed to bring students from different social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds together.” Forty school districts currently receive magnet school grants. In 2017, the Department of Education made the first grants under a new program enacted by Congress called the Native American Language program. It supports schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction. The program supports efforts of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages. The program also supports the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize