Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues Fifth session Geneva, 27-28 November 2012 Intervention under the 3rd Agenda item: Perspectives from young minority rights advocates on the Declaration. Intervention presented by: lrad Beldjebel and Jugala Kishor Ranjito 2012 OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Programme Mme Chair Person, Mme Independent Expert, Distinguished delegates and colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, We are here today representing young minority rights advocates working on the rights of religious minorities. While we can celebrate some progress, we should also make our best to overcome the challenges facing the people belonging to minorities in general and the youth in particular. Over the past years, religious minorities have been facing escalating restrictions of the freedom of religion or belief. Some analysis' show that the number of countries with high or very high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices is rising.2 This in effect means that three quarters of the worlds' population live in countries with high government restrictions on religion or with high social hostilities involving religion, which is in opposition to international human rights standards. Therefore, the young minority rights advocates have a great role to play in reinforcing our belief in the Minorities Declaration and doing our best in raising awareness and taking effective actions to ensure its effective implementation in our societies. In the spirit of the Minorities Declaration and taking into account that respecting the rights of religious minorities improves the stability of the society, some countries found ways of engaging in inter-faith dialogue. To translate this dialogue into everyday life, we encourage all to live by the principles encompassed in it and make sure that the inter-faith dialogue engages everyone. However, due to a lack of dialogue in some countries, religious minorities in regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, West Africa, Asia, have been subjected to various forms of discrimination, religious intolerance and violence, for example: 1 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life 2 The number of countries w ith high or v ery high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose from 31 % in the mid-2009 to 37% in the mid-2010. The full report is av ailable at http://w w w .pew forum.oregov ernment/rising-tide-of-restrictions-on-religion-findings.aspx