A/HRC/49/46 9. In his visits, the Special Rapporteur focuses on the importance of addressing discrimination, exclusion and other violations of human rights involving particularly vulnerable minorities, such as the Bidoon, Dalits and Roma, and doubly or even triply marginalized minority women, and issues pertaining to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons who, as users of sign language, are members of linguistic minorities. 10. The Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to the United States of America from 8 to 22 November 2021 at the invitation of the Government.2 B. Communications 11. The Special Rapporteur sent communications and urgent action letters to the Member States concerned based on information received from diverse sources about human rights violations perpetrated against national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. 3 12. A total of 284 communications have been sent to Governments since January 2021. This was a considerable increase, almost four-fold, over the previous year’s total number of communications. All of the communications were sent jointly with other special procedure mandate holders: 16 were urgent appeals, 263 were letters of allegation and 5 were other letters expressing concerns regarding legislation and policy. 13. The largest number of communications were sent to States in Europe and Central Asia (48), followed by Asia and the Pacific (35), the Middle East and North Africa (26), the Americas (8) and sub-Saharan Africa (8). A total of 159 communications were sent to private companies. C. Conferences and awareness-raising activities 14. Raising awareness and increasing the visibility of the human rights of minorities has been repeatedly highlighted as an important dimension of the Special Rapporteur’s work since his appointment by the Human Rights Council in June 2017. Accordingly, the Special Rapporteur has frequently participated in and contributed to conferences, seminars and meetings at the international, regional and national levels throughout the world and with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations. He also has given frequent media interviews on issues involving the human rights of minorities. 15. A summary of the main activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur from July to December 2021 is contained in annex I to the present report. The activities undertaken prior to this period are summarized in the Special Rapporteur’s report to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session.4 III. Update on forums on minority issues in 2021 16. In his first report to the Human Rights Council, in 2018, the Special Rapporteur identified the need for a more regional approach with respect to the Forum on Minority Issues in order to make the Forum more accessible to minorities in different parts of the world and more receptive to regional concerns and contexts.5 The first steps towards implementing such an approach were taken in 2019, when three regional forums were held. In 2021, and for the first time during the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, four regional forums (for Africa and the Middle East; the Americas; Asia and the Pacific; and Europe and Central Asia) were held on the theme of conflict prevention and minorities. Some 800 participants took part in the regional forums, participating virtually because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and 670 in the Forum on Minority Issues. In a separate report to the Council, 2 3 4 5 See A/HRC/49/46/Add.1. For details of all communications sent and information received under the mandate, see https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmsearch/TMDocuments. A/74/160. A/HRC/37/66, para. 64. 3