FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES NINTH SESSION "Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises" 24 and 25 November 2016 Room XX, Palais des Nations, Geneva SUMMARY BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FORUM Mr Mario Yutzis Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 19/23 of 23 March 2012, the Forum on Minority Issues provides a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as providing thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Ms Rita Izsák-Ndiaye. The Forum identifies and analyzes 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 (hereinafter referred to as “the Declaration”). The Forum meets annually for two days, on a different theme each year. The Special Rapporteur on minority issues is responsible for guiding the work of the Forum, preparing its annual meetings and reporting on its thematic recommendations to the Human Rights Council. The ninth session of the Forum took place on 24 and 25 November 2016 in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr Mario Yutzis was appointed as Chair of the session, which focussed on "Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises". Around 500 participants took part in the session, including Member States and specialized agencies, intergovernmental and regional organizations, human rights treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, academics and experts, and civil society actors working on minority issues1. The wide range of stakeholders included persons belonging to national, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities who are actively engaged in minority rights advocacy and diverse areas of work related to the protection and promotion of the rights of minorities, as well as experts in the field of humanitarian assistance. The report of the Special Rapporteur to the 71st session of the General Assembly, dedicated to the situation of minorities in situations of humanitarian crises (A/71/254), as well as a detailed programme of work and a set of draft recommendations, were made 1 The list of the organizations and delegations that participated in the Forum is available on the website of the Forum on Minority Issues: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Minority/Pages/Session9.aspx 1