including minorities. Such violence at times include the killing of civilians, rape and other forms of sexual violence, destruction of homes, property and sites of cultural importance, displacement from lands and territories, and humanitarian crises that result in minorities being deprived of food, shelter, water and sanitation, healthcare and education. Minorities are frequently poorly equipped to defend themselves against violence and poorly protected by State authorities, including law enforcement officials. The present dialogue offers the opportunity to share experiences as to how various United Nations initiatives have addressed violence and atrocity crimes against minorities and to learn from practices that work in strengthening prevention and protection capacities in various contexts (i) by addressing discrimination and securing effective participation of minorities in time of peace; (ii) preventing violence by facilitating national engagement including with human rights mechanisms when identity-related tensions exist; and (iii) responding to violence in situations of widespread and systematic attacks against minorities during conflict and postconflict situations. The discussions will serve to identify approaches that work best by examining UN action ranging from human rights advocacy work at headquarters and in the field. Opening remarks: Ms. Jane Connors, Director, Research and Right to Development Division, OHCHR Chair: Mr. Antti Korkeakivi, Chief, Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section, OHCHR Panellists for session I –Preventing violence and atrocity crime against minorities – Global perspective and role of UN mechanisms  Mr. Mark Lattimer Executive Director of Minority Rights Group International  Ms. Naomi Kikoler Deputy Director, Center for the Prevention of Genocide, Director of Policy and Advocacy of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect  Mr. Patrick Thornberry Professor, University of Keele Former member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Discussion Panellists for session II – Preventing violence and atrocity crime against minorities at the country level: Role of the UN and lessons-learned  Mr. Neil Buhne Director of UN Development Programme Geneva Liaison Office  Mr. Kyfork Aghobijian (Participant in OHCHR Fellowship Programme) Chairperson of Armenian Church Youth Organization in Syria  Mr. Francesco Motta Chief, Human rights section of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq  Ms. Nareen Shammo (Participant in OHCHR Fellowship Programme) Independent journalist, Iraq Discussion Closing remarks by the Chair Languages The side event will benefit from interpretation in English, Spanish, and French.