recommendations were made available to all Forum participants in advance of the Forum and formed the basis for the discussions2. Format of the Forum The Forum followed the procedure that has been developed over its previous sessions. To help focus the discussions and ensure that those would be highly inter-active, each agenda item was introduced by presentations before the Forum would hear interventions from other participants, based on a list of speakers. Outcome documents The present document is prepared in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 19/23 which requests the Chair to prepare “a summary of the discussion of the Forum, to be made available to all participants of the Forum”. This summary is to be complemented by the outcome document containing the recommendations of the Forum that will be presented by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues to the Human Rights Council at its 28th Regular Session in March 2015. This summary does not provide the full details of all presentations that were made during the Forum’s proceedings. The consolidated list of speakers and, where available, the full text of their presentations can be found on the Forum’s website at the following address: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Minority/Pages/Session7.aspx Item I. Opening meeting H.E. Ambassador Baudelaire Ndong Ella, President of the Human Rights Council Mr Ella, welcomed all participants and congratulated Mr Patrick Thornberry for his appointment as Chair of the seventh session of the Forum. He emphasized the high relevance of the issues discussed during the Forum to the work of the Human Rights Council, in particular that protecting vulnerable communities, combating discrimination and promoting equality in any field of life are among the primary objectives of the work of the Council and its mechanisms, including the work of the Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). He welcomed and congratulated the work of the Special Procedures mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur on minority issues by recalling that their substantive reports frequently address specific minority concerns and offer a timely and reliable source of information for the Human Rights Council as well as a solid basis for protecting minorities worldwide. He indicated that the Human Rights Council was looking forward to the recommendations of this session to be presented by the Special rapporteur on minority issues at its 28th session in March 2015. Video statement by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson 2 See A/HRC/FMI/2014/2 and A/HRC/FMI/2014/3 available on the Forum’s website. 2