international, regional and national levels through a set of action-oriented recommendations, which are presented to the Council annually by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. Finally, the President of the Human Rights Council reaffirmed the commitment of the Council to protect the rights and lives of all individuals who cooperate with the United Nations and its mechanisms in the field of human rights, and stated that the Council condemns any and all acts of intimidation or reprisal against such individuals and groups. The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Mr. Fernand de Varennes, expressed concern that crises involving refugees and internally displaced people are increasing all over the world. He noted that conflicts are overwhelmingly internal, and usually have ethnic or religious dimensions, and that since 2010, the number of major violent conflicts has tripled globally. He added that much of the increase relates to internal conflicts within states, usually involving minorities, that there are more violent conflicts now than anytime during the last 30 years, and the world is witnessing the largest displacement crisis ever recorded. The Special Rapporteur stated that minorities have grievances of injustice, or perceived discrimination, and that their grievances are amplified by the pandemic and growing inequalities, discrimination, exclusion and hate. He added that hundreds of millions are living in extreme poverty, and the gap is growing between the poor and rich. He explained that the theme of the Forum was chosen to reflect these important issues which have not been sufficiently addressed. He noted that these issues were also described by the United Nations and the World Bank in a seminal joint report entitled Pathways to Peace as critical for policy makers at all levels to focus on preventing violent conflict more effectively in order to avoid the huge human and economic costs of conflict. The Special Rapporteur recalled that the main point towards conflict prevention identified by the Pathways to Peace report was the need to address grievances around exclusion from access to power, opportunity and security – mainly from minority groups. He explained that the panels would explore some of these significant areas of concern in relation to prevention of conflict and the protection of minorities. The Special Rapporteur added that the panels would focus on root causes, legal and institutional frameworks, the rights of minorities and effective prevention of conflict, and positive initiatives to better protect the rights of minorities and prevent conflicts. The Special Rapporteur reiterated that protecting and accommodating minorities and their identities is a hallmark of an inclusive society, and one of the keys to countering intolerance and xenophobia, which unfortunately is occurring for political purposes and is leading to increased tensions and even violence. The Chair of the fourteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues, Ms. Victoria Donda, emphasized that past experiences allow us to identify the undeniable relationship between racialization, impoverishment, gender and vulnerability, and that minorities need both state intervention and the international system and the protection it affords. She stated that minorities often bear the brunt of conflicts, and explained that there are inconsistencies, controversies and contradictions regarding the concept of minorities, as there is no 3