A/HRC/28/27 I. Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, in its resolutions 13/12 of 2010 and 22/4 of 2013 concerning the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to present an annual report to the Council containing information on relevant developments in the work of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, as well as on the activities undertaken by OHCHR at its headquarters and in the field, that contribute to the promotion of, and respect for, the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (“the Declaration”). The present report covers activities carried out by OHCHR in 2014. 2. During the reporting period, OHCHR provided support to member States in their efforts to protect minority rights and engaged with regional and national actors, including minority representatives, with a view to responding to their needs and improving their capacity to prevent and address challenges to their rights. It also supported system-wide efforts to advance minority rights, in particular by coordinating the work of the United Nations network on racial discrimination and protection of minorities, which was established in 2012 by the Secretary-General. The “Guidance note of the Secretary-General on racial discrimination and protection of minorities”, developed by the network, was adopted by the Secretary-General in 2013, and OHCHR has engaged in various activities to implement its 19 recommendations. II. Work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at its headquarters and in the field 3. OHCHR strives to ensure that the principles of the Declaration and other relevant human rights standards are used more effectively to support the participation of minorities in decision-making and to strengthen human rights protection at the national level. OHCHR is determined to combat exclusion, marginalization and abuse of people on the basis of their perceived race, their indigenous, ethnic or religious background, their colour, gender, caste status, disability, age, health status, or sexual orientation. As such, throughout the year, the High Commissioners have stressed in public statements the importance of advancing nondiscrimination and protection of minorities. A. Work to strengthen advocacy and capacity 4. In 2014, OHCHR marked International Roma Day on 8 April by organizing an expert panel discussion entitled “Exposed and excluded: addressing forced eviction and the housing rights of Roma”, which illustrated how forced eviction of Roma from their homes, destruction of their property and deportation result in violations of the right to adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living. Forced evictions are incompatible with the requirements of international human rights law and contribute directly and indirectly to violations of a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in international human rights treaties. The event served to raise the profile and visibility of International Roma Day and offered an important opportunity for sharing experiences, including with Roma advocates who pursue practical work related to preventing evictions at the national level. 5. The expert panel discussion brought together Roma rights advocates, including from the grass roots, whose work focused on combatting violations of Roma rights to housing. 3