32 On what legally binding and other basis? • Arts 19, 26, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (United Nations) • Art. 5, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (United • • • • • • • Nations) Arts 2, 17, & 30, Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations) Arts 11 + 14, European Convention on Human Rights (Council of Europe) Art. 9, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Council of Europe) Art. 11, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (Council of Europe) Art. 2(1), Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (United Nations) Recs. 13 & 15, Guidance Note of the UN Secretary-General on Racial Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities (2013) Recs. 8–11, Oslo Recommendations Regarding the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities (OSCE) How it should be done State involvement in public media, where it occurs, must reflect cultural and linguistic diversity. This includes the use of minority languages by public broadcasters and to a degree that reflect the numbers and concentration of speakers of such languages. This must also take into account and address as much as possible the needs and interests of smaller linguistic minorities. Programmes in minority languages need to be broadcast or available at convenient times, and in areas and formats that reach as many speakers of minority languages as is practicable, including through the use of new media. Where a country’s population is largely bilingual, public radio or television broadcasting can use both languages interchangeably. Multilingual and multicultural public broadcasting can serve to mainstream the presence and participation of minorities, and celebrate a state’s diversity rather than segregate minorities from the majority. Minorities must be involved directly in the development of broadcasts in their own languages. Using minority languages in public media plays a significant role in preserving minority languages, cultures and identity. Ultimately, access to public media in people’s own languages is a communication, information and integration tool between state authorities and minorities. It gives governments a tool to prevent the isolation of minorities in public life, establishes a direct communication and information link between the state and minorities, and provides a particularly effective tool for ensuring their inclusion while promoting tolerance, cultural diversity, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. From a practical point of view, authorities and policymakers should also consider that integration, communication and information need to be two-way processes: public media programmes and activities should target members of the majority as well. They should encourage the learning of minority and indigenous languages, as well as the setting up of multilingual and multicultural broadcasting facilities to mainstream minority concerns and promote programmes that celebrate a state’s diversity rather than simply perpetuating a monolingual or single-culture vision of the state.