A/RES/66/166
10. Calls upon all States to cooperate with and assist the Independent Expert
on minority issues in the performance of the tasks and duties mandated to her, to
provide her with all the necessary information requested and to seriously consider
responding promptly and favourably to the requests of the Independent Expert to
visit their countries in order to enable her to fulfil her duties effectively;
11. Encourages the specialized agencies, regional organizations, national
human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations to develop regular
dialogue and cooperation with the mandate holder as well as to continue to
contribute to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to
national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;
12. Expresses its appreciation for the successful completion of the first three
sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues, addressing the right to education, the
right to effective political participation and the right to participation in economic
life and which, through the widespread participation of stakeholders, provided an
important platform for promoting dialogue on these topics, and encourages States to
take into consideration, as appropriate, relevant recommendations of the Forum;
13. Invites States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies, specialized agencies,
funds and programmes, regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations and national human rights institutions as well as academics and
experts on minority issues to continue to participate actively in the sessions of the
Forum on Minority Issues;
14. Welcomes the decision of the Human Rights Council to convene at its
nineteenth session a panel discussion to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of
the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or
Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, with a particular focus on its
implementation as well as on achievements, best practices and challenges in this
regard;4
15. Welcomes the inter-agency cooperation among United Nations agencies,
funds and programmes on minority issues, led by the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights, and urges them to further increase their
cooperation by, inter alia, developing policies on the promotion and protection of
the rights of persons belonging to minorities, drawing also on relevant outcomes of
the Forum on Minority Issues;
16. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
continue her efforts to improve coordination and cooperation among United Nations
agencies, funds and programmes on activities related to the promotion and
protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and to take the work of relevant regional organizations active in
the field of human rights into account in her endeavours;
17. Calls upon the High Commissioner to continue to promote, within her
mandate, the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging
to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and to engage in a
dialogue with Governments for that purpose and regularly update and disseminate
widely the United Nations Guide for Minorities;
18. Invites the High Commissioner to continue to seek voluntary
contributions to facilitate the effective participation of representatives of
non-governmental organizations and persons belonging to national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities, in particular those from developing countries, in
minority-related activities organized by the United Nations, in particular the
4