Let me tell you two reasons why this is an important event for the Advisory Committee: - first, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities was an useful model for the persons involved in the drafting of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities developed in response to the 90s even if the Council of Europe spans a smaller geographic area than the UN. For the members of the Advisory Committee, the principles of this Declaration remain a constant source of inspiration;