A/HRC/RES/55/17 7. Calls upon all States to ensure that all persons, including those belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, have the opportunity to contribute to the promotion and strengthening of a culture of peace; 8. Encourages States and regional and international organizations to acknowledge and support the important role of national human rights institutions and civil society, including women- and youth-led organizations, to be fully engaged in the promotion and strengthening of a culture of peace and human rights education; 9. Encourages all States and regional and international organizations, including United Nations bodies, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions to contribute actively to supporting education for peace and human rights education as tools to promote a culture of peace; 10. Calls upon all States to invest in early childhood education as a fundamental contribution to the development of more peaceful societies, and urges them to provide ageappropriate education in children’s schools that builds a culture of peace and non-violence, including lessons in mutual understanding, respect, tolerance and human rights; 11. Also calls upon all States to ensure a free, independent, plural and diverse media and recognize and support its educative and informative role in contributing to the promotion of human rights and a culture of peace, in building and supporting the functioning of inclusive and peaceful knowledge societies and democracies, an informed citizenry, the rule of law and participation in public affairs, in holding public institutions and officials accountable and in fostering intercultural dialogue, peace and good governance; 12. Calls upon all States and the United Nations system to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls, as well as youth, in strengthening and promoting a culture of peace; 13. Notes with appreciation the practical initiatives and actions by relevant United Nations bodies, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and the University for Peace, as well as their activities in further promoting a culture of peace, in particular the promotion of peace education and activities related to specific areas identified in the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, and encourages them to continue, further strengthen and expand their efforts within their respective mandates; 14. Calls upon all States to develop public awareness of the need for and value of peace and the relationship between the realization of peace and security, development and human rights, and to facilitate activities, commemorations and initiatives that engage public consciousness with peace and human rights; 15. Invites all relevant United Nations human rights treaty bodies and special procedures of the Human Rights Council, designated experts, intergovernmental working groups and expert mechanisms, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner, to continue to bear in mind the topic of the present resolution within their respective mandates; 16. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize two half-day workshops in Geneva, in a hybrid and fully accessible format, on human rights and a culture of peace, and to promote participation by and inputs from interested States, relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, international human rights mechanisms, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, academia and other relevant stakeholders, in order to: (a) Share experiences, good practices, achievements, challenges and lessons learned concerning strategies for how protecting and promoting human rights contributes to promoting and strengthening a culture of peace, and vice versa; (b) Suggest concrete actions to mobilize States and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations in the promotion and strengthening of a culture of peace and the full realization of all human rights, and propose measures that strengthen international and national efforts to develop a culture of peace and the realization of all human rights for all; 4