E/CN.4/2006/74 page 10 the right to establish and maintain free and peaceful contacts across national frontiers with citizens of, and those resident within, other States who have similar ethnic, religious or linguistic affiliations. It is important to note that the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities focuses on the duties of States to protect the identity of minorities and ensure their effective participation in public life. This may at times be accomplished most effectively by extending territorial or non-territorial autonomy to minority groups, or by the decentralization of some authority through self-governing arrangements. However, the Declaration does not require the establishment of such autonomy, and such arrangements may not always provide the most effective means of ensuring rights within minority communities. 27. The independent expert also takes note of the collective nature of minority rights. This holds importance for the promotion and protection of minority identity and visibility, for the informed collective participation of these groups in decisions that affect their rights and resources, and for securing collective claims to linguistically and culturally appropriate education, land and other shared assets. While the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities examines rights that may be claimed by individual members of minority communities, those claims will often require the State to ensure the existence or identity of the group as a whole. 28. Finally, the independent expert recognizes that some individuals within ethnic, religious, linguistic or national minority groups may experience multiple forms of discrimination because of other factors including gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age or health status. This means that, within minority communities, some individuals who are already struggling against intolerable levels of generalized exclusion also face compounded forms of discrimination or violence based on their gender, personal identity or expression. As a result, the independent expert intends to consider the compounded and often negatively reinforcing nature of multiple forms of exclusion as she undertakes her work, while also highlighting the importance of protecting diverse forms of personal expression. 29. Taking these various considerations into account, the independent expert will focus her work on national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural groups whose generally non-dominant positions within their societies demand protection to allow them to exercise their rights to the fullest. III. METHODS OF WORK 30. In carrying out her mandate, the independent expert will undertake various methods of work in order to achieve the most efficacious results. In the section that follows, the independent expert will describe the activities she plans to pursue under the terms of her mandate, as provided in Commission resolution 2005/79. (a) To promote the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities, including through consultations with Governments, taking into account existing international standards and national legislation concerning minorities 31. The independent expert believes that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding minority rights as set out in the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities, as well as regarding the value of diversity in general. This hinders the full and effective implementation of minority rights. The role of minority rights in promoting equitable development and peace and