A/HRC/RES/16/6 Recognizing the importance of the full enjoyment of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities for stability and the prevention of conflicts, Expressing concern at the frequency and severity of disputes and conflicts involving persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in many countries and their often tragic consequences, and that persons belonging to minorities often suffer disproportionately from the effects of conflict, resulting in the violation of their human rights, and are particularly vulnerable to displacement through, inter alia, population transfers, refugee flows and forced relocation, Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto, 1. Takes note of the report of the independent expert on minority issues1 and its special focus on the role of the protection of minority rights in conflict prevention; 2. Also takes note of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities2 and of the compilation of United Nations manuals, guides, training material and other tools on minority issues,3 submitted to the Council at its sixteenth session; 3. Commends the independent expert on minority issues for her work and for the important role that she has played in raising the level of awareness of and in giving added visibility to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and for her ongoing efforts to promote and protect their rights in order to ensure equitable development and peaceful and stable societies, including through close cooperation with Governments, relevant United Nations bodies and mechanisms and nongovernmental organizations; 4. Expresses its appreciation to Governments and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations that have given special attention to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and have supported the work of the independent expert; 5. Also expresses its appreciation for the successful completion of the first three sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues, addressing the right to education, the right to effective political participation and the right to effective participation in economic life and which, through the widespread participation of stakeholders, has provided an important platform for promoting dialogue on these topics, and encourages States to take into consideration, as appropriate, relevant recommendations of the Forum; 6. Commends the Forum for its contribution to the efforts of the High Commissioner to improve cooperation among United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, funds and programmes on activities relating to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including at the regional level; 7. Welcomes the inter-agency cooperation of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes on minority issues, led by the Office of the High Commissioner, and urges them to increase their cooperation further by, inter alia, developing policies on the 1 2 3 2 A/HRC/16/45. A/HRC/16/39. A/HRC/16/29.