A/HRC/37/66 B. Ethnic conflicts, minority rights and promoting inclusiveness and stability 41. In 2010, the mandate holder at the time presented her first report9 to the General Assembly, in which she highlighted the history of the development of minority rights and the need to address tensions between minorities and the State and among various population groups. It is noteworthy that, at the time of the General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities by resolution 47/135 of 18 December 1992, the representative of Austria specifically acknowledged that the implementation of the declaration would contribute to overcoming situations of tension relating to minority issues.10 42. The report of the first mandate holder could also be considered ground breaking as it clearly set out, for the first time, what the essential elements of a strategy to prevent conflicts involving minorities were: “respect for minority rights; dialogue between minorities and majorities within societies; and the constructive development of practices and institutional arrangements to accommodate diversity within society”.11 43. Despite the perspicacity of her report, new conflicts involving minorities have emerged in many different parts of the world, including Cameroon, Central African Republic, Myanmar, Ukraine and Yemen. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that a positive contribution to the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts involving minorities can be achieved through more targeted and collaborative approaches that address the issue of discrimination in areas such as education, political participation, access to employment and public services. This thematic priority would also help to identify the means by which the Special Rapporteur can more effectively contribute to early warning efforts in situations involving systemic exclusion of and discrimination and violence against certain minorities; communicate with United Nations field presences and the peace and security bodies in New York; and improve follow-up to communications sent to States. C. Tackling hate speech, xenophobic rhetoric and incitement to hatred against minorities 44. In her 2017 report to the Human Rights Council, the previous Special Rapporteur noted that hate speech, xenophobic rhetoric and incitement to hatred against minorities were increasing, coupled with the rise of far-right and extremist political parties worldwide. She believed that it was crucial to appoint a high-level official on minority issues within the Secretariat and to establish senior positions within United Nations departments and agencies dedicated solely to issues of minority rights protection, diversity management and safeguarding pluralistic societies.12 45. The Special Rapporteur shares the view of his predecessor as well as the growing concerns of international organizations and civil society groups that have noted in recent years a dramatic rise in the persecution of minorities, with a commensurate number of people of minority backgrounds fleeing their homes, and a dramatic increase in hate crimes against minorities. In that respect, he will continue to build upon previous reports and recommendations, such as those contained in the 2015 thematic discussion on hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media. 13 He will address those phenomena in consultation with other stakeholders, including regional organizations such as the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, United Nations entities and civil society organizations. Regional initiatives and more action-oriented guidelines are some of the initiatives that the Special Rapporteur will be exploring with various stakeholders on this theme. 9 10 11 12 13 10 A/65/287. See A/C.3/47/SR.47, para. 89. See A/65/287, para. 7. See A/HRC/34/53, para. 80. A/HRC/28/64.