CONCEPT NOTE 16th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues 30 November – 1 December, 2023 Minorities and Cohesive Societies: Equality, Social Inclusion, and Socio-economic Participation 1. The 16th session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues (UN Forum) will be convened on 30 November and 1 December 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/15 of 28 September 2007 and resolution 19/23 of 23 March 2012. This year, the theme of the UN Forum is ‘Minorities and Cohesive Societies: Equality, Social Inclusion, and Socio-economic Participation.’ A. Background 2. The 16th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues aims to tackle the multiple challenges faced by minority communities worldwide, focusing on strengthening their socio-economic participation and ensuring equality and social inclusion. 3. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Forum intends to work toward a future with no poverty and reduced inequality, and where peace, justice, and strong institutions prevail within cohesive societies. While the SDGs do not specifically mention minorities, who are often among the world's most marginalized and vulnerable groups, their protection needs to be included explicitly in the 'no one left behind' pledge. 4. The Forum looks at the ground reality of contemporary societies in which minorities often grapple with the persistent challenges of systemic inequities and discrimination, hinder their 1