A/HRC/52/71 41. The United Nations should consider establishing an independent accountability mechanism which will regularly review the Organization’s performance and response to minority issues and will formulate concrete recommendations for improvement. 42. The Forum on Minority Issues needs to address specific next steps that would allow for the development, with the equal participation of minorities, of a legally binding treaty on minority rights. The treaty should have an associated oversight mechanism that would enable the systematic development of guidance for both States and non-State actors and would extend the scope of international minority protection, focused on the inclusion of caste-affected groups, named minorities with a particularly grave history of exclusion and persecution, such as Roma, and immigrant minorities. 43. The Forum on Minority Issues should consider establishing a consortium of experts and practitioners to systematically contribute to the development of relevant standards at the United Nations. IV. Recommendations to focus on the role of minority rights defenders in promoting the principles of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 44. All States should fully acknowledge the important role minority rights defenders play as government partners in protecting and promoting human rights. All States must ensure that all minority rights defenders have a safe and an enabling environment in which to carry out their work free from threats, violence or any form of harassment. 45. States must put a stop to all reprisals, including assassination, defamation, prosecution and intimidation, against minority rights defenders and human rights defenders working in the field of minority issues. 46. All States, the United Nations and international, regional and civil society organizations should effectively support women belonging to minorities who are defending minority rights and should guarantee their protection. 47. The United Nations should enhance minorities’ access to the United Nations itself, including to the procedure for obtaining consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and create more platforms from which minority voices can raise issues. 48. The United Nations should strengthen protection mechanisms for activists defending the rights of minorities. 49. The United Nations should support and promote the meaningful participation of minority rights defenders with disabilities so that they can reflect their existing challenges at the international level. 50. All States, the United Nations and international, regional and civil society organizations must recognize the multiple, layered and intertwined forms of oppression faced by minority women and create more opportunities and more support for and with minority women so that they can better articulate their agency and voices, better mobilize resources and ultimately protect their human rights. 51. All States, the United Nations and international, regional and donor organizations should support and invest in strengthening the capacity of female and youth minority rights defenders and proactively involve them in decision-making processes rather than viewing them merely as beneficiaries of various programmes. 52. All States, the United Nations and regional and civil society organizations should collect and mainstream good practices, not only about specific minority rights, but also how States are managing the diversity of their societies and how different ethnic, religious, linguistic and ethnic groups are living together, rather than side by side. 6 GE.22-29477