A/HRC/10/60 page 7 coordination and cooperation with their counterparts in the international arena, and encouraging dialogue with other civilizations; promoting cooperation with UNESCO, other international and regional cultural institutions and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in order to further cultural dialogue, establish joint programmes in this area and benefit from the capacities of these institutions in implementing joint programmes. 15. Furthermore, an independent expert should be mandated to safeguard the cultural rights of minorities, indigenous populations and peoples living under foreign occupation through: supporting cultural, media, language and heritage-based projects for members of minorities, indigenous populations and peoples living under foreign occupation; establishing educational institutions for all stages of education, in accordance with general national regulations, in order to develop knowledge of the history, philosophy, culture, arts and way of life of these groups and to encourage them to carry out their development projects to meet their real and legitimate needs, dealing with educational programmes in all Government institutions in the light of a comprehensive national vision, guaranteeing impartiality, multiculturalism and the respect for the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of all; establishing self-administered, decentralized centres and institutions where these groups can perform their rituals and practise their traditions, heritage and culture in freedom and without intimidation or censorship; ensuring respect for the cultural specificity of all without discrimination; preserving the cultural heritage as a source of creativity, and protecting local languages, traditions and arts from erosion. 16. In addition, a mandate should focus on guaranteeing the cultural rights of persons with disabilities, in order to prevent exploitation, develop the creative and artistic capacities of persons with disabilities in all areas of traditional and contemporary literature, arts and thought; enhance their capacity to enjoy all forms of leisure, culture and sports and ensure that persons with disabilities have access to literary and other cultural materials. 17. In order to perform these tasks, an independent expert should conduct annual visits to States in order to examine, evaluate and provide feedback on the progress made in the exercise of cultural rights and respect for cultural diversity; and submit an annual report of activities to the Human Rights Council for consideration. [Original: Arabic] [2 August 2008] Guatemala 18. In its contribution, Guatemala offered an account of the legal provisions and other measures it had adopted to realize cultural rights and promote the respect of cultural diversity. 19. The submission pointed out a number of areas that would merit consideration by an independent expert on cultural rights. These included: paying special attention to the field of education; and reviewing legislation addressing respect for cultural expressions, access to cultural goods and the preservation of cultural patrimony, in order to suggest improvements. Guatemala also considered that, while it was important to monitor the respect for cultural rights