A/RES/66/166 2. Urges States and the international community to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as set out in the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, including through the encouragement of conditions for the promotion of their identity, the provision of adequate education and the facilitation of their participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and cultural life of society and in the economic progress and development of their country, without discrimination, and to apply a gender perspective while doing so; Urges States to take all appropriate measures, inter alia, constitutional, 3. legislative, administrative and other measures, for the promotion and implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and appeals to States to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally, in particular on the exchange of best practices and lessons learned, in accordance with the Declaration, in order to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; Calls upon States to give special attention to the situation and specific 4. needs of women and children belonging to minorities while promoting and protecting the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; Encourages States, in their follow-up to the World Conference against 5. Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to include aspects relating to persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in their national plans of action and, in this context, to take forms of multiple discrimination fully into account; Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Independent Expert on 6. minority issues and its special focus on the role of the protection of minority rights in conflict prevention; 7 7. Calls upon States to integrate the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as effective non-discrimination and equality for all, into strategies for the prevention and resolution of conflicts involving these minorities, while ensuring their full and effective participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of such strategies; Calls upon the Secretary-General to make available, at the request of 8. Governments concerned, qualified expertise on minority issues, including in the context of the prevention and resolution of disputes, to assist in resolving existing or potential situations involving minorities; Commends the Independent Expert on minority issues for the work that 9. has been done and the important role played in raising the level of awareness of and in giving added visibility to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and for the ongoing efforts to promote and protect their rights in order to ensure equitable development and peaceful and stable societies, including through close cooperation with Governments, the relevant United Nations bodies and mechanisms and non-governmental organizations; _______________ 7 See A/HRC/16/45. 3