crises, often bear the cost of conflicts, even when they are not directly part of it, and are often worst placed to respond to a disaster when it strikes. The Human Rights Council is deeply concerned by current humanitarian crises in different regions across the globe that demonstrate the pressing need to take action in order to protect minorities and other groups in situation of vulnerability. The Council must and does play an important role in drawing international attention to such situations and seeking to prevent, address and mitigate them. The work of the Special Procedures mandate-holders, including the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, is key to bringing to the attention of the Council specific minority concerns and reliable information through the substantive reports they are mandated to present. In many occasions, mandate holders are the first ones to ring the alarm, together with civil society, on a humanitarian crisis in the making or in rapid deterioration. It is my desire that this important session of the Forum on Minority Issues will act as the catalyser to trigger action to better prevent and address the impact of humanitarian crises on minority communities. Since its establishment, nine years ago, the Forum on Minority Issues has played an essential role in promoting minority rights as contained in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The Forum has produced valuable guidance to human rights actors at the international, regional and national levels through a set of action-oriented recommendations, which is presented to the Council during its March session, by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. We have the opportunity, for the next two days, to actively contribute to this set of recommendations as well as use the recommendations produced by the Forum throughout its previous sessions as a fundamental advocacy tool. Before concluding, I would like to reaffirm the commitment of the Human Rights 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. The Council condemns any and all acts of intimidation or reprisal against