minority issues to the UN General Assembly, and recalled the principal provisions of key relevant international law instruments such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Henrik Villadsen, Director of the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE, delivered a presentation on the use of quiet diplomacy and confidentiality to ease tensions and resolve conflicts in multi-ethnic societies. In 2006, his office published a set of recommendations on policing in multi-ethnic societies. He drew attention to the role of the Police, who could be both a contributor and a threat (via heavy-handed operations) to stability in States with a plurality of groups. The OSCE recommendations provide guidance for policy makers on how best to approach policing in multi-ethnic societies. Discussion The following issues were raised during the discussion under Item II: - the situation of children from minority communities deprived of their liberty in the criminal justice system; - how the international community could support States in ensuring that all procedural rights are respected and fulfilled for persons belonging to minorities in the criminal justice system; - examples of national practices to increase access both to formal justice institutions and to less formal dispute resolution mechanisms; - the challenges faced by some religious and other minorities in registering and seeing the effective pursuit of criminal complaints brought against the authorities. Item III. Minorities and the use of Police powers The session discussed the key factors that create and perpetuate vulnerability of minority groups and their exposure to the arbitrary or discriminatory exercise of police powers, including structural discrimination. The session considered effective measures to prevent the excessive use of force, including lethal force, by police, and how best to ensure full compliance with the requirements of proportionality and strict necessity in any use of force against persons belonging to racial or ethnic minorities. It also strived to identify effective positive measures that foster or strengthen trust in law enforcement personnel and prevent or address failures (actual and perceived) of law enforcement in protecting minorities from violence against them. Mr György Makula, Deputy Head of the Communication Service of National Police Headquarters, Hungary, and Chairman of Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers, presented the good practice of including representatives of minority communities in the police forces. Drawing on his experience as a Roma police officer in Hungary, he suggested this as a particularly effective way of overcoming situations where prejudiced beliefs are widely held within a majority population. He highlighted how deploying Roma patrols to respond to 5