A/HRC/FMI/2014/2 2012. The resolutions require that the Forum, under the guidance of the Special Rapporteur (formerly “independent expert”) on minority issues: (a) Meet annually to provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; (b) Provide thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur; (c) Identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities; (d) Produce thematic recommendations, to be reported to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur; (e) Contribute to efforts 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. 6. The Forum offers a unique opportunity for engagement and dialogue on minority issues with a wide range of stakeholders, including Member States of the United Nations, bodies and specialized agencies of the United Nations, intergovernmental and regional organizations, minority representatives and civil society. It also represents an opportunity for them to exchange their experiences of good practices and issues management in the field of minority relations. II. Aims and objectives of the Forum 7. The Forum will aim at increasing awareness of the State’s responsibility to protect persons belonging to minorities from violence and atrocities targeted against them, and will develop for all stakeholders recommendations on preventing and responding to violence and atrocities. The Forum will bring about increased understanding of why it is important for States to protect and promote minority rights as a means of preventing violence and, in the worst case, atrocity crimes, including by establishing or strengthening institutional and policy frameworks for protecting minority rights. Participants will be encouraged to discuss the role of the international community, including regional human rights bodies and the United Nations, as well as their ability to engage with and assist States in their efforts to prevent and halt violence, and to intervene effectively when States fail to protect their populations. The Forum will reflect on the activities of minority communities and civil society and how they can play a role in preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes, or their incitement, that target minorities. It will offer the opportunity to identify and review positive practices and examples of constructive mechanisms and processes relating to minority protection and diversity management that have been implemented in various countries and regions. 8. A set of draft recommendations on preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes targeted against minorities will be presented for consideration by the Forum. These will form the basis for discussion by participants with the objective of strengthening and developing them as a tool for States and other stakeholders. The final recommendations will then be presented to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-eighth session. 4