A/78/195 minority rights”, 21 in the New Agenda for Peace he simply does not mention this fact and seems to repeat the past “inaction and negligence”, thereby contributing to the explosion of armed conflicts around the world – and the inability at the United Nations to develop the necessary expertise and responses to prevent conflicts. 22 IV. Further developments during the mandate, 2017–2022 38. The preceding assessment in relation to the mandate’s thematic priorities is less than optimistic and raises numerous challenges and matters that need to be addressed globally, in some cases as a matter of urgency to respond in a timely fashion to the degrading human rights situations of minorities in such areas as citizenship, education, hate speech and the prevention of armed conflicts. Nevertheless, some significant positive steps and progress were undoubtedly made in some areas. A. Regional forums 39. One of the more noteworthy developments was the operationalization of annual regional forums to complement the Forum on Minority Issues and make the interactive dialogue more accessible to minorities in different parts of the world and more receptive to regional concerns and contexts (A/HRC/37/66, para. 64). 40. The regional forums are an initiative of the Special Rapporteur that have been in place since 2019. They are aimed at complementing the Forum on Minority Issues and broadening the participation of minorities, experts, States and international organizations. In total, 13 regional forums were held between 2019 and 2022 with 1,617 participants, and 676 recommendations were issued, dealing with such topics as minority language rights (2019), hate speech (2020), conflict prevention (2021) and the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Ling uistic Minorities (2022). 23 41. Organized with the support and efforts of the Tom Lantos Institute and numerous regional minority and human rights organizations, regional forums were held for Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe and Central Asia. While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during this period meant that most regional forums were held online or in a hybrid format, four of them were in-person events held in Bangkok, Brussels, Tunis and Vienna. 42. Responses to the regional forums have been overwhelmingly positive from civil society organizations and from the international community. Participants in the __________________ 21 22 23 23-15818 António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, remarks at the high-level meeting on the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, 21 September 2022, available at www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2022-09-21/secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-levelmeeting-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-adoption-of-the-declaration-the-rights-of-personsbelonging-national-or-ethnic-religious. For example, the Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers, engaged in mediation and peacemaking efforts for the United Nations, neither traditionally requires nor has any expertise on minority issues, again despite most armed conflicts involving minority grieva nces and issues. The regional forums were made possible by the coordination, support and contributions of the Tom Lantos Institute and an international advisory group of minority and human rights representatives from all regions, as well as by the contributions and assistance of numerous non-governmental organizations, State representatives and regional and international organizations, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union and the Council of Europe. 11/21