The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 37
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The prevention of mass atrocities, intergroup tensions and conflict, including when owing to violations of minority rights, is an important impetus for institutionalizing attention to minority issues, particularly where tensions or conflict exists or has previously occurred. The former Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, remarked that "[W]e must protect especially the rights of minorities, since they are genocide's most frequent targets". The General Assembly in the preamble to the Declaration considered "that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to … minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live". This statement was echoed by Heads of State and Government in paragraph 130 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome, where they also committed themselves to the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing (paras. 138 and 139), the importance of which is emphasized by the Independent Expert in relation to minorities at risk.