FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES SIXTH SESSION "Guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities" 26 and 27 November 2013 Room XX, Palais des Nations, Geneva SUMMARY BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FORUM Ms Hedina Sijerčić Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 19/23 of 23 March 2012, the Forum on Minority Issues continues to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Independent Expert on minority issues. The Forum identifies and analyzes best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (hereinafter referred to as “the Declaration”). The Forum meets annually for two working days allocated to thematic discussions. The Independent Expert on minority issues, Ms. Rita Izsák, is responsible for guiding the work of the Forum, preparing its annual meetings and reporting on its thematic recommendations to the Human Rights Council. The sixth session of the Forum took place on 26 and 27 November 2013 in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Hedina Sijerčić was appointed as Chair of the sixth session of the Forum that focussed on "Guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities". Over 500 participants took part in this sixth session of the Forum, including United Nations Member States and specialized agencies, intergovernmental and regional organizations, human rights treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, academics and experts as well as civil society actors working on minority issues1. In addition to this wide range of stakeholders, this session brought together persons belonging to religious minorities who are actively engaged in minority rights advocacy and diverse areas of work related to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities. A note by the Independent Expert on minority issues, Ms Rita Izsák, on guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities and a set of draft recommendations was made available to all Forum participants in advance of the Forum, and formed the basis for the discussions2. 1 The list of the organizations and delegations that participated in the Forum is available on the website of the Forum on Minority Issues: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Minority/Pages/Session6.aspx 2 See A/HRC/FMI/2013/2 and A/HRC/FMI/2013/3 available on the Forum’s website. 1