A/HRC/37/66 56. The Guide highlights that language rights issues may arise in any activity involving State authorities and language preferences and that they are closely associated with national, collective and individual identity. Language rights can also have an impact on the participation and inclusion of minorities if they are not properly addressed in a balanced, reasonable way, which in turn can lead to sentiments of alienation or marginalization and potentially instability or conflict. 57. The Guide will enable State authorities, civil society actors and United Nations staff to better understand the key conceptual issues and fundamental principles for the promotion and protection of the language rights of minorities within a human rights framework. It also provides specific guidance in key areas such as education, political participation, employment and the media, and includes useful examples of good practices in these areas. The Guide points out that, while minority (and indigenous) women are among the most marginalized individuals in the world, research shows that they perform particularly well in a number of situations when they are taught in their own language, which increases the likelihood of them pursuing further studies or breaking out of the cycle of isolation and poverty. This was particularly notable in relation to communication by minority women with public services in vital areas, such as health care, which often improved with effective use of their own language. 58. This invaluable source material has the potential to improve the opportunities available to minorities for recognizing and strengthening efforts to protect and promote the language rights of minorities. The Special Rapporteur looks forward to it being circulated and operationalized in different regional and national contexts, and will be working closely during the mandate with other interested parties in that regard. VIII. Update on the 2017 Forum on Minority Issues 59. The Forum on Minority Issues was established in 2007 by the Human Rights Council in resolution 6/15 and reaffirmed in 2012 by resolution 19/23. It is mandated to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as to provide thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. The Special Rapporteur is tasked with guiding the work of the Forum, preparing its annual meetings and reporting to the Human Rights Council on its thematic recommendations. The Forum meets annually in Geneva for two working days allocated to thematic discussions. It brings together an average of 500 participants, including minorities, member States, United Nations mechanisms, regional intergovernmental bodies and NGOs. 60. The tenth session of the Forum was held on 30 November and 1 December 2017, with the topic “Minority youth: towards diverse and inclusive societies”. 61. Tarik Kurdi, former senior UNHCR official from the Sudan, was appointed as Chair of the tenth session by the President of the Human Rights Council. Many young men and women from minority communities participated for the first time in the forum, while a number of young delegates represented their governments. A total of 12 young minority activists from different parts of the world presented the four main panel discussions on education, participation in public life, digital media, and peace and stability. The Forum was opened on Thursday 30 November 2017 by the Vice-President of the Human Rights Council, Valentin Zellweger, followed by a statement by the Special Rapporteur and remarks by the Chair. Keynote addresses were delivered by OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Lamberto Zannier, and by the Special Advisor to the SecretaryGeneral’s Envoy on Youth, Saskia Schellekens. On Friday 1 December 2017, the High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed the Forum. 62. In an effort to improve dialogue among stakeholders and better focus the exchanges on the topic, the session was comprised of four panel discussions, each introduced by three young minority activists. Four moderators guided the discussions, which helped to keep floor interventions more focused on the topic at hand and to maintain a high level of engagement by participants throughout the two-day programme 13