9 4) It improves communication and public services The use of a minority language as a language for service delivery and communication also results in better and more effective delivery of public services by improving the quality of and access to health care, social services, education, employment advice, justice and other public services. Since communication is a two-way process, authorities should not seek to impose on everyone the use of a single, official language in all situations. They should reach out to those among their population who share a distinct language. Failure to engage with minorities in their own language increases their sense of exclusion, while the use of minority language reaches people more directly and increases their participation more effectively. It can also save lives, since language can be a major constraint on access to health services. “Mongolia: Minority language focus helps build human security Mongolia is developing rapidly but ethno-linguistic minorities remain highly disadvantaged. Recognizing this, the Mongolian Government and several United Nations agencies, including UNESCO, WHO, UNDP and UNICEF, launched a project in 2009 to bolster the long-term human security and self-sustainability of vulnerable rural and ethno-linguistic minority communities, including nomadic communities. The importance of local languages is a key theme running through a range of initiatives to improve minorities’ access to education, health information and skills training. There is support for local language radio and television to provide key economic, health, educational and other information. Minority languages are being given increased recognition and support in child education, in non-formal adult education, and in skills training and identifying business opportunities. The project is intended to strengthen Mongolia’s current and future policy and practice in support of all the MDGs, especially MDG 7, and it is hoped that its focus on local languages will provide useful learning for policy makers”. Source: UNESCO, Why Language Matters for the Millennium Development Goals (Bangkok: UNESCO, 2012), p.41. 5) It contributes to stability and conflict-prevention Ethnic tensions and conflicts within a state are more likely to be avoided where language rights are in place to address the causes of alienation, marginalization and exclusion. Since the use of minority languages helps to increase the level of participation by minorities, as well as their presence and visibility within a state and even their employment opportunities, this is likely to contribute positively to unity and When minority rights are enshrined in constitutions, and implemented through electoral, justice and education systems before a conflict has the chance to fester, there is a chance that conflict might not occur at all. Source: Baldwin, C., Chapman, C. and Gray, Z., Minority Rights: The Key to Conflict Prevention (Minority Rights International: London, 2007), p.2. stability. Conversely, where the use of only one official language discriminates dramatically against minorities, violence is more likely to occur. This is one of the reasons why the OSCE developed the Oslo Recommendations Regarding the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities as a conflict prevention tool.