NGOs and Police Against Prejudice (NAPAP) was a programme established with the help of the European Commission in 1997. It aimed to build partnerships between police and minority CSOs. As part of the initiative, the Rotterdam Charter: Policing for a Multi-Ethnic Society (see http://www.rotterdamcharter.nl/) was drafted by participants focusing on policy responses in the areas of recruitment and retention, training, implementation of the law, building bridges between minorities and the police, and use of statistics about minorities and crime. Evaluations of the NAPAP work found the most successful initiatives evolved from solid foundations. For example, in a Catalan project based in Barcelona, one year “was spent in first building up strong relationships and shared understandings of problems and appropriate ways forward, with the result that the training partnerships forged by police and local ethnic community organizations were among the most effective and enduring in the whole programme” (Oakley 2001). Recently, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities has issued a set of Recommendations on Policing in Multi-Ethnic Societies (February 2006). The UN Independent Expert on minority issues also held a review of good practice at an Expert Meeting on Integration with Diversity in Policing.25 Judicial system reform: Minorities may not be able to access the judicial system because of discrimination, language barriers, low confidence in the process, financial barriers and the lack of judicial facilities in regions where they live. Some minority groups may also prefer to use traditional justice systems to resolve disputes. Important improvements could be made by training existing judges and lawyers about international minority rights standards. Often these laws are not implemented because there is low awareness of them among domestic legal practitioners. Such training could include sensitization to the particular needs of minorities to aid legal practitioners to better serve these groups. It is also beneficial to increase the representation of minorities among judges and lawyers. This can help reduce discrimination, increase understanding of minority issues and address language barriers. During judicial proceedings it is essential that minorities be provided with translation into their own languages as requested (see ICCPR article 14.3 (a) and (f )). In areas where minorities are poor, access to judicial services may be impeded by financial costs. Efforts therefore can be made to provide low cost or free legal aid resources for minorities. Traditional systems of justice are important to many minority communities. The adoption of so-called ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution’ mechanisms is one means of improving access to justice for these minority groups. This may take several forms, including recognition of traditional law in some areas of law (e.g. divorce, property); use of traditional mediators from minority communities to settle disputes; and training paralegals from minority communities to aid in dispute resolutions and advise on the use of formal judicial services. Mainstream judicial actors may be educated about traditional justice systems as appropriate. However, such mechanisms are not a panacea for minority justice and may harm marginalised groups within For a report on the meeting and recommendations, see UN Doc. A/HRC/10/38/Add.1 (27 February 2009). 25 Chapter 4: Minorities in Development 47