A/HRC/28/77 religion or value system, and is entrenched in universally accepted human rights instruments. II. General considerations 6. The recommendations made in the present document should be read in conjunction with the substantive and action-oriented recommendations formulated at the six previous sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues, as they also apply to situations in which targeted violence against minorities is to be prevented and addressed. 7. In their efforts to prevent and address violence and atrocity crimes against minorities, all stakeholders are strongly encouraged to build their initiatives upon the four key pillars of minority rights protection: protection of existence; protection and promotion of minority identity; equality and non-discrimination; and the right to effective participation in all areas of civil, political, public, economic, social and cultural life. 8. It is important to recall that, in any measures aimed at implementing the recommendations, systematic consideration should be given to the specific conditions, situations and needs of women belonging to minorities, resulting from multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. 9. All measures taken with a view to implementing the recommendations should be, to the fullest extent possible, developed, designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated in consultation with, and with the effective participation of, minorities including minority women. 10. Recognition of minority status is not solely for the State to decide. In accordance with the authoritative interpretation by the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, the existence of minorities should be established by objective criteria. All efforts should be made to ensure that the principle of self-identification is respected. III. Recommendations A. 1. Recommendations to prevent violence and atrocity crimes Recommendations to States 11. As an essential violence prevention measure, States should comply with international standards of minority rights protection, equality and non-discrimination, and implement the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and other relevant regional and international standards in full. 12. Gross and persistent inequalities may create the conditions under which minority communities are made vulnerable to violence. It is necessary to understand and address the dynamics and the impact of discrimination, exclusion and inequalities, including intersecting forms of discrimination, in order to reduce the exposure of poor and marginalized minorities to persecution, insecurity and, ultimately, violence. States should encourage effective participation and promote equality and the constructive integration of persons belonging to minorities in the political, social, economic and cultural life of society. Special measures should be taken for the benefit of the most disadvantaged communities. 13. States should consider appropriate measures to ensure that persons belonging to minorities participate fully in the economic progress and development of their country, including by ensuring clear and fair provisions on land, equal access to public sector 4