content of the right to vote is significantly diminished if the right to education is denied. The goal therefore is to achieve a fair and just society in which minorities achieve equality in all fields of life and are confident that they are full stakeholders in societies in which their voices are heard. Public participation takes many forms. It comprises the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to vote and to be elected, and to have access to public services. Moreover, it entails participation in all governmental bodies, the judiciary and agencies of the criminal justice system, like the police. It also encompasses participation in economic and social life as well as access on a non-discriminatory basis to employment, land and property, housing, health care, social welfare and pensions, among others. Effective participation of minorities can also be promoted through decentralized and local forms of government, consultation mechanisms, as well as through cultural or limited arrangements of territorial autonomy. Distinguished Participants, Minority political actors, experts, government officials, representatives of the Treaty Bodies, UN Specialized Agencies and civil society representatives, have gathered in this room today to participate in this second session of the Forum on Minority Issues. In addition to many distinguished delegates from Member States, over 100 minorities from all regions are here, representing perhaps millions of others worldwide, who are actively pursuing greater and more effective political participation for themselves and their communities. Some are members of national or provincial parliaments; some are members of local city or village councils or are Mayors. Some are people who have run for office and those who have represented their