A/HRC/40/30 were to take place on 20 October. The participants also raised concerns over whether the transparency of the proportional representation system would meet the expectations of minority groups. 40. During the period under review, with the aim of increasing the participation of ethnic minorities in State structures, the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia, in partnership with Osh State University, Kyrgyzstan, developed an internship programme within the national and local civil service for final-year university students and university graduates. Almost 30 participants, including members of ethnic minorities and members of the majority ethnic group, successfully completed their internships in various State agencies.18 Through the programme, participants with diverse ethnic backgrounds became involved in the daily provision of national and local services, and they were able to acquire first-hand experience and improve their skills to better qualify for positions in those services. 41. The Special Rapporteur on the right to education, in her report on governance and the right to education (A/HRC/38/32), underlined that participation should not be based on majority rule. Decentralization could ensure that education was more equitable, inclusive and responsive to local learner needs by empowering local communities, particularly minorities, to adjust the delivery of education to meet local demands. 42. In order to effectively promote and protect the participation of minority groups, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended taking measures to ensure and promote occupational mobility for marginalized groups, including through hiring incentives, vocational training and community-based awareness-raising and empowerment programmes. 19 In other cases, the Committee recommended ensuring the effective participation of all ethnic groups and relevant civil society organizations, particularly those working on the elimination of racial discrimination in the design, implementation and evaluation of State policies. 20 43. In October 2018, the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia launched a comprehensive strategic litigation programme on non-discrimination for lawyers and human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan. The aim of the programme is to enable lawyers and human rights defenders to conduct litigation professionally and competently in strategically important cases related to ethnic minorities. The year-long programme has provided training to 50 lawyers and human rights defenders on the principles and theory of strategic litigation and on how international and national law can be used to engender social change in the country. The training programme is part of the Judicial and Social Equality Programme of the Regional Office for Central Asia. 44. In the same vein, in October 2018, the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia delivered the first of five segments of a comprehensive training programme for civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and members of the national preventive mechanism on non-discrimination, including on the rights of ethnic minorities. Through the programme, already 90 participants have been able to discuss concepts related to human rights, international human rights law and international mechanisms for the protection of human rights, with a specific focus on diversity management. F. Religious minorities 45. OHCHR has been relying on the United Nations network on racial discrimination and protection of minorities, and the framework contained in the Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights, for training and advocacy purposes with different stakeholders, including religious minorities, members of civil society and United Nations human rights mechanisms. The Beirut Declaration and its 18 commitments on “Faith for Rights” notably include the pledge to stand up for the rights of all persons belonging to minorities and to 18 19 20 10 For example, the State tax service, the Prosecutor’s Office, mayors’ offices and police stations. See, for example, CERD/C/NPL/CO/17-23, para. 31. See, for example, CERD/C/KGZ/CO/8-10, para. 20.