A/HRC/37/73 national and international decision-making bodies and in legislative and policy development processes. They drew attention to the link between the level of engagement and representation of minority youth in decision-making and the level of discrimination they faced in society. They particularly highlighted the responsibility of the State to promote diversity and provide equal opportunities to all minorities. They acknowledged that young persons belonging to minorities could experience disproportionate difficulties or obstacles when engaging in political processes. Minority youth might disengage from public life because political representatives did not take their concerns into account. The speakers encouraged minority youth to take a prominent role in political processes in their countries, whether by exercising their right to vote or by standing for election. 47. The ensuing discussion was moderated by the Director of the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities of OSCE, Henrik Villadsen. Participants examined how effective participation by minority youth in public life could lead to more cohesion and to the recognition of diversity in society more broadly. They also acknowledged that people, including minority youth, had a particularly important role to play in promoting sustainable development. They highlighted discrimination, social exclusion and extreme poverty as mutually reinforcing hurdles that prevented minority youth from participating in public life. Representatives of Member States shared good practices on how to take into account the specific needs and aspirations of young minority people in the development by national institutions of policies targeted at youth and minority youth. B. Recommendations 48. States should guarantee the representation of minority youth in decisionmaking processes at the local, national and international levels, especially those concerning youth and minority policies. States should also guarantee greater transparency and outreach to minority youth in decision-making processes, for example by using youth-friendly tools such as online platforms and social media to promote the engagement of youth. These measures should enable minority youth to reach their full potential and actively participate in all spheres of public life. 49. States should ensure an environment that fosters participation of minority youth in public life and support initiatives such as youth centres, with programmes that sensitize youth about the benefits of participation in decision-making, particularly in marginalized areas where minority communities live. They should monitor the occurrence of hate speech, xenophobia and discrimination and take legal action against such abuses so that minority youth feel safe being visible in society. States should ensure that minorities, including minority youth, are adequately represented in their national and local institutions, including municipalities, schools and police forces, and should consider the use of quotas to this end. They should explicitly acknowledge and celebrate diversity within their societies and demonstrate their commitment to the protection of minority rights. 50. States should support initiatives that reach out to minority youth to encourage them to be agents of change in their own communities through political engagement, from the first step of voting through to running for elected office to representing their communities. 51. States should recognize that minority youth may express different political opinions than those favoured by the Government and must respect this diversity of opinion as part of freedom of speech and opinion, which is essential to democracy and stability. Minority communities should themselves encourage and respect the expressions and opinions of minority youth, even when the views of minority youth differ from those of the leaders of minority groups. 52. When implementing policies and programmes targeted at increasing the participation of youth in public life, including in the political, civil, social, cultural and economic spheres, States should use disaggregated data analysis to identify whether these policies and measures reach minority youth on an equal basis and are effective in promoting their participation in public life. 9