A/HRC/55/35 74. In September, the network organized a communities of practice series for members of United Nations country teams, on minorities and statelessness, intersectional forms of discrimination, anti-racism and hate speech. Through contributions by United Nations country teams, participants learned about good practices, including areas for collaboration or strategic tools, in the context of policy development, programming and project implementation, at the country level. 75. In his 2023 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues encouraged the network to be more strongly engaged with the Forum on Minority Issues, including by reporting to the Forum about minority-related activities conducted by each United Nations agency.74 V. Conclusions 76. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. However, the assessment of OHCHR is that approximately two thirds of countries in the world do not have comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that would help make the promise of equality in dignity and rights made 75 years ago in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a reality. A significant number of countries lacking comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation have a rich canvas of minorities within their respective societies, but this diversity is too often perceived as a problem rather than an opportunity. 75 77. Diversity should be recognized not as a threat, but as a richness of our societies. The recognition of diversity starts with the inclusion and effective participation of minorities. International declarations have reaffirmed the right of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities to participate equally and effectively in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life, as well as to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion and to use their own language in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.76 78. When persons belonging to minorities have access to education, employment and business opportunities, they are less likely to feel disenfranchised, excluded and invisible. Further concerted action by all relevant stakeholders is needed to overcome any invisibility of minorities and to move towards genuine indivisibility of all human rights for everyone, including minorities.77 79. Advancing minority rights requires evidence-based policies and actions in fields ranging from conflict prevention to development, including through the mapping of different dimensions of exclusion and by supporting human rights-compliant data collection related to minorities, including in population censuses. Collection of disaggregated data is instrumental, including to identify indirect and intersecting forms of discrimination, and to target positive measures and other necessary action appropriately.78 80. Addressing discrimination and inequality by upholding human rights should be at the centre of all policymaking, with a focus on protecting and increasing the meaningful participation of marginalized groups, including minorities, strengthening 74 75 76 77 78 16 A/HRC/52/27, para. 78. See https://hrcmeetings.ohchr.org/HRCMechanisms/ForumMinority/SiteAssets/Pages/16thsession/VIDEO%20Opening%20Statement%20by%20Assistant%20SecretaryGeneral%20for%20Human%20Rights.pdf. Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, art. 2; Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, chap. I, para. 19; and Beirut Declaration and its 18 Commitments on Faith for Rights (A/HRC/40/58), annex II, commitment VI. See https://hrcmeetings.ohchr.org/HRCMechanisms/ForumMinority/SiteAssets/Pages/16thsession/VIDEO%20Opening%20Statement%20by%20Assistant%20SecretaryGeneral%20for%20Human%20Rights.pdf. See https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Issues/Minorities/ GuidanceNoteRacialDiscriminationMinorities.pdf, para. 23. GE.23-26212