A/HRC/52/71 I. Introduction 1. The present report was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/15 and 19/23. It contains the recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues from its fifteenth session, held in Geneva on 1 and 2 December 2022 on the theme “Review, rethink, reform: thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities”. The work of the Forum was guided by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes. The Forum was chaired by Daniel Abwa. Some 580 participants from 79 countries registered, including representatives of States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and mechanisms in the field of human rights, national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodies, minorities, academics and experts on minority issues and nongovernmental organizations. 2. The recommendations contained in the present report are drawn primarily from the discussions and contributions made by the participants at the fifteenth session of the Forum. They also reflect the discussions and contributions made at the four regional forums held on the same topic, organized by the Special Rapporteur with the support of the Tom Lantos Institute and other non-governmental organizations, for the Americas (hosted by the Government of Argentina), Africa and the Middle East (hosted by the Government of Morocco) and Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia (hosted by the Government of Austria), which involved over 100 participants each. The recommendations are based on international law and standards and good practices in the protection of the human rights of minorities. They aim to provide guidance for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, taking the opportunity – on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration – to take stock of the state of minority rights protection, identify gaps in the minority protection regime and make recommendations on ways forward. 3. Key elements of the legal and normative framework from a human rights perspective include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe. 4. The recommendations of the Forum at its fifteenth session are organized under the four agenda items that framed the discussion during the session. The recommendations: (a) Aim to address the gaps in the implementation of the Declaration as well as new challenges that have appeared since its adoption; (b) Highlight the primary responsibility of the State in implementing and promoting the principles of the Declaration; (c) Reaffirm the ultimate role of minority human rights defenders in bringing the principles of the Declaration to life and thus recognize that they too need protection; (d) Highlight the need to eliminate persistent obstacles to the implementation of the Declaration; (e) Stress the importance of the inclusion of minorities and their representatives in policymaking and decision-making processes affecting them; (f) Emphasize the positive effects of minority women and minority youth leadership on the implementation of the Declaration. 5. The recommendations also recognize the important role the United Nations, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, representatives of minorities and other stakeholders can have in eliminating persistent obstacles to the 2 GE.22-29477