A/HRC/46/57 marginalized minority women, and issues pertaining to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons who, as users of sign language, are members of linguistic minorities. 10. The Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to Kyrgyzstan from 6 to 17 December 2019 at the invitation of the Government (A/HRC/46/57/Add.1). B. Communications 11. The Special Rapporteur sent communications and urgent action letters to the Member States concerned based on information received from diverse sources about human rights violations perpetrated against national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Those communications and the responses thereto are publicly available. 12. A total of 78 communications have been sent to Governments since January 2020. This was a considerable increase over the previous year’s total number of communications. All of the communications were sent jointly with other special procedure mandate holders: 16 were urgent appeals, 53 were letters of allegation, and 9 were other letters expressing concerns regarding legislation and policy. 13. The largest number of communications were sent to States in Asia and the Pacific (43), followed by Europe and Central Asia (16), the Middle East and North Africa (9), the Americas (5) and sub-Saharan Africa (4). One communication was sent to a private company. C. Conferences and awareness-raising activities 14. Raising awareness and increasing the visibility of the human rights of minorities has been repeatedly highlighted as an important dimension of the Special Rapporteur’s work since his election by the Human Rights Council in June 2017. Accordingly, the Special Rapporteur has frequently participated in and contributed to conferences, seminars and meetings at the international, regional and national levels throughout the world and with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations. He also has given frequent media interviews on issues involving the human rights of minorities. 15. A summary of the main activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur from July 2020 to December 2020 is contained in annex I to the present report. The activities undertaken prior to this period are summarized in the Special Rapporteur’s report to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session (A/74/160). III. Update on 2020 forums on minority issues 16. In his first report to the Human Rights Council, in 2018, the Special Rapporteur identified the need for a more regional approach with respect to the Forum on Minority Issues in order to make the Forum more accessible to minorities in different parts of the world and more receptive to regional concerns and contexts (A/HRC/37/66, para. 64). The first steps towards implementing such an approach were taken in 2019, when three regional forums were held. Because of the uncertainties in 2020 owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic, only two of the four regional forums envisaged were able to proceed, on the thematic priority of tackling hate speech and incitement to hatred against persons belonging to minorities through social media. Still, more than 400 participants were involved in 2020 in the regional forums, held in Europe and Asia and the Pacific. The regional forums were possible thanks to the coordination of the Tom Lantos Institute and the contributions and assistance of numerous non-governmental organizations, State representatives, and regional and international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union, the Council of Europe and others. 17. The Forum on Minority Issues itself was established in 2007 by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/15 and its important role reaffirmed in 2012 in Council resolution 19/23. The Forum is mandated to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and to provide 3