16th Annual Forum on Minority Issues Dr. Hani Anouti’s speech Ladies and gentlemen From Morocco to China – the Middle East included - there is a sea of minorities that are experiencing different forms and patterns o discriminatio, exclusion harassement, politicization, and underrepresention. For 2 days (yesterday and today), many members and defenders of these minorities expressed different forms and patterns of attitudes exercised against them by different countries and political regimes. In this gloomy and challenging context, I am going to rely on a case study. It is definitely considered to be a successful one if you look at it and compare it to the situation of minorities in the mentioned geographical area and specifically in the Middle East. Lebanon, a tiny country has provided a great model for minority protection, inclusion, utmost freedom, fair, equal, and proportional representations based on a power sharing agreement from one hand and the historical coexistence among these groups from another. You might find this example to be surreal because of the political and security situation in this country. Politically speaking it is not the best example – But this a forum on minorities, so let's just look at this case study from minority inclusion, protection, and their human rights regardless to the current political, security, and economic challenges that exist in this country and the surrounding turbulent Middle East. The country and its power sharing system is designed at sectarian level and not religious one. Lebanon is home to different sects and ethnic groups that all together form the Lebanese society. In this small country, there is 18 recognized sects, and around 9 non-recognized sects (yet they are not discriminated against). From Morocco to China, the only country headed by a president belonging to a minority – Christian is Lebanon. Not only a Christian, but a Maronite Christian – a minority within the broader Catholic church. The Lebanese constitution guarantees the rights of minorities to be equal and proportional partners in the Lebanese society. It guarantees their freedom of expression and beliefs in a very diversified country. Having said that, all laws, norms, practices, aand tradition guarantees that. This is the map of Lebanon – a mosaic of religious and sectarian identities living all together in this small geographical land for centuries: Light Green: Sunni Dark green: Shiite Green: Alawite 1