Minority rights focus in the United Nations 25 chaired by a different expert on minority issues, appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council. The Independent Expert is responsible for guiding Forum sessions, preparing its annual two-day meetings, making recommendations to the Human Rights Council for thematic subjects to be considered, and reporting on the thematic recommendations of the Forum to the Council. The Forum’s mandate is to “identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration”. It seeks to provide concrete and tangible outcomes in the form of thematic recommendations of practical value to all stakeholders. In its first four sessions, the Forum dealt respectively with the themes of education, effective political participation, effective participation in economic life, and guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls. The Forum’s recommendations, drafted by the Independent Expert based on discussions at the session, are presented to the Human Rights Council and posted on the Forum’s website, as is a summary of the discussions. Forum sessions, which are held at the United Nations in Geneva, include formal presentations by invited panellists and oral interventions by other participants. All participants – whether they be Government representatives, NGOs, minority advocates or individual experts – are given an opportunity to speak. Interventions during the annual sessions may be directed to various aspects of the theme under discussion and may describe specific situations relevant to the topic, offer examples of good practices or provide scholarly analysis. As the only annual United Nations meeting dedicated to minority issues, the Forum offers a unique opportunity for engagement and dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives of Member States, United Nations specialized agencies, human rights treaty bodies, intergovernmental and regional organizations, NGOs, national human rights institutions, minority representatives, academics, experts and representatives of civil society. The Forum is open to active participation by all stakeholders and pursues creative collaborations and ways of engaging. To participate in Forum sessions, pre-registration with the OHCHR Secretariat is required, but there are few restrictions and NGOs are not required to have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in order to attend. The Forum on Minority Issues also offers an opportunity for minority advocates, experts and States to share experiences and opinions informally, and is one means of ensuring that minority issues remain on the Council’s agenda. Suggestions for annual themes, discussion panellists or other matters may be given to the Independent Expert on minority issues and/or the OHCHR staff who support the mandate (e-mail minorityforum@ohchr.org). Working Groups and other subsidiary organs The work of the Human Rights Council is not limited to its periodic sessions in Geneva. The Council establishes working groups, in particular with the aim of drafting new standards, such as that which drafted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which was opened for signature in September 2009. Working groups of the Council include those related to the Durban process, such as the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Ad Hoc Committee on the elaboration of complementary standards and the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (see chap. IV). NGO participation in working groups is often less formal than participation in plenary sessions of the Council. The OHCHR website provides a calendar of meetings. The Council also convenes an annual three-day meeting of its Social Forum, which offers the opportunity for open and interactive dialogue among Governments, independent experts, intergovernmental organizations and, in particular, members of civil society. Originated by the former Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights for the purpose of