A/HRC/22/27 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 13/12, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to present an annual report to the Council containing information on relevant developments in the work of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, as well as on the activities undertaken by her Office at Headquarters and in the field, that contribute to the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 2. The Declaration, adopted by consensus in 1992, provides global standards on minority rights and the obligations of States to protect and promote such rights. In addition to being an important component of human rights, minority rights are key factors in peacebuilding, the prevention of conflict, and development. In the context of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) pursued several activities to bring awareness to the Declaration and encourage its implementation, consistent with the OHCHR Management Plan for the biennium 2012-2013. 3. Through subregional events and other initiatives, OHCHR encouraged stronger interest in minority rights. The activities focused on most topical minority rights issues, ranging from the protection of religious minorities to constitution-making. The activities offered an important opportunity to examine and gather approaches that work in the field of minority rights protection so that they can be replicated, and also to examine remaining challenges in order to tackle them at national, regional and international levels. II. Work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at Headquarters and in the field 4. In various public statements and keynote addresses during the year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns about the situation of minorities, ranging from the treatment of Roma in Europe to the rights of religious minorities in different regions. For example, in her opening statement at the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council, in June, the High Commissioner highlighted the twentieth anniversary of the 1992 Declaration on Minorities, stressing that advancing minority rights and combatting discrimination must engage the entire United Nations system. In her opening statement at the twenty-first session of the Council, in September, the High Commissioner raised concerns about, inter alia, the targeting of religious minorities, stressing that discriminatory laws and practices needed to be rooted out and that it was important not to be selective in addressing that issue. 5. In her keynote address at a workshop on civil society and education in human rights as tools for promoting religious tolerance, held in New York on 27 September, the High Commissioner stated that while increased emphasis on the importance of advancing religious tolerance and protecting religious minorities had been noted, the situation on the ground remained, regrettably, as worrisome as ever. She stressed that there was much work to be done to ensure respect for freedom of religion or belief and protection of the rights of religious minorities, and that strong commitment from everyone at the international, regional and national levels was necessary. On 20 June, at the World Congress on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability, organized by the United Nations Environmental Programme, the High Commissioner stressed that the rights of minorities, 3