A/50/514 English Page 17 VII. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS A. Council of Europe 61. In accordance with the declaration of the heads of State and Government of the member States of the Council of Europe adopted at a summit conference held on 8 and 9 October 1993, a framework convention specifying the principles which the contracting States committed themselves to respect in order to assure the protection of national minorities was drafted and adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 10 November 1994. The framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was opened for signature on 1 February 1995 and has already been signed by the following States: Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; it has also been ratified by Romania. It is the first ever legally binding multilateral instrument protecting national minorities in general. The Convention contains provisions covering a wide range of areas: non-discrimination; promotion of effective equality; promotion of the conditions regarding the preservation and development of culture and the preservation of religion; language and traditions; freedoms of assembly, association, expression, thought, conscience and religion; access to and use of the media; linguistic freedoms; education; transfrontier contacts; international and transfrontier cooperation; participation in economic, cultural and social life; participation in public life; and the prohibition of forced assimilation. The adequacy of the measures taken by the parties to give effect to the principles are evaluated by the Committee of Ministers, assisted by an advisory committee, on the basis of periodic reports submitted by the States parties. 62. The Summit Conference also entrusted the Committee of Ministers to begin work on drafting an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights in the cultural field containing provisions guaranteeing individual rights, in particular for persons belonging to national minorities. The drafting process of this additional protocol is to be completed by the end of 1995. 63. These instruments are a valuable supplement to the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Charter for regional or minority languages which was opened for signature by member States on 5 November 1992. The Charter, which will enter into force upon ratification by five member States, has, as at 1 June 1995, been ratified by Finland, Hungary and Norway and signed by Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. The Charter lays down objectives and principles to be respected by States and proposes concrete measures to put them into effect in the fields of education, courts of law, administrative authorities and public services, the media, cultural facilities and economic and social life. /...