Ninth Session- United Nations Forum on Minority Issues Panel III- Protecting minority rights during humanitarian crises. Geneva, 24 November 2016 Statement by A ustria Mr. President, Let me start by congratulating you on your election' as the chair of the 9th session of the forum on minority issues. The forum has established itself as the foremost international platform for dialogue among all stakeholders from within and outside the UN system on the promotion and protection of the rights of minorities. It has enabled to hear the voice of minorities from all over the world and provides us with an essential opportunity for sharing best practices and promoting mutual understanding of minority issues. As main sponsor of the resolutions on minorities' issues and on Internally Displaced Persons in the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, Austria particularly welcomes this year's timely thematic focus of the forum. An estimated 125 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide including unprecedented numbers of persons displaced worldwide with situations of protracted conflict and violence creating increasingly large numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons. Due to the specific challenges they often face because of pre-existing situations of discrimination or lack of inclusion in planning and preparation, minority communities are often disproportionately affected during conflict or disaster. The Forum's draft recommendations underline the primary responsibility of the state to contribute continually to building resilient and prepared minority communities able to actively respond when crises arise; and if and when a crisis occurs, to provide timely appropriate assistance that is relevant to minority communities' specific needs. In many cases only the minority communities themselves will be able to assess which protection measures are likely genuinely to improve security, and Which risk making the situation worse. Therefore, the establishment of dedicated institutions to take the lead in mainstreaming attention to minorities and in monitoring their situation as well as the • participation of minorities themselves at the political level is essential. Austria's national minorities enjoy special protection, both at constitutional level and on the basis of numerous other legal sources, including the Ethnic Groups Act. In terms of political representation and to advise the Government and its ministers in