A/HRC/55/51 not only complex and delicate, but had special aspects in each State in which it arose. It is safe to assume that diversity and complexity have not disappeared and that minority issues are still far from being the same in all parts of the world. The Special Rapporteur will seek to establish a mapping of minority issues, which could feed the thematic outlook for regional minority forums. The second reason is linked to methodology and the added value of the current existence of strong computing power. The Special Rapporteur thus proposes to adopt a bottom-up approach – not trying to start from international texts or instruments to define and implement the rights of persons belonging to minorities, but to identify issues through a social media content analysis – in order to figure out which “minority issues” are perceived as relevant in different countries. Thanks to the development of social networks and computational science, the Special Rapporteur intends to rely on tools of computational diplomacy to better delineate and understand the diversity and richness of minority issues worldwide. 56. As underlined above in the vision for the mandate (see paras. 37–41 above and article 1 of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities), identity issues are at the heart of minority issues. Identity may be seen and understood at several levels. For example, individual identity for persons belonging to linguistic minorities may be at stake when authorities of the country in which they reside refuse to register, in official identity documents, their original first name, or patronym, as such a name or practice does not exist in the country of residence. A first name is a central element of individual identity. At a second level, the sense and forms of manifestation of minority identity shared by persons belonging to a minority group will be explored. At a third level, it needs to be understood how such minority identities are perceived as contributing (or weakening) national identity. In the thematic report, the Special Rapporteur will address those three levels of identity issues and the way in which they are interlinked. 57. The representation of minorities in national societies is certainly an issue linked to identity. Representation is naturally a polysemous term, as it may refer to mental representation, media portrayal, as well as representation in political or social bodies of persons belonging to minorities. In the thematic report, the Special Rapporteur intends to examine the different meanings and understandings of the term “representation of minorities in national societies” and the way in which they are intertwined. 58. A specific form of formal representation is the participation of persons belonging to minorities in the political governance of their communities, as well as in national institutions. The political organization of States is very diverse (see para. 26 above) and different forms of territorial and institutional arrangements inevitably affect minority issues. The Special Rapporteur, as an academic, extensively explored the issue some 25 years ago.38 He feels that it would be an important contribution to the fate of minorities to once again explore the current impact of the specific political organization of States on the situation of minorities. There will be a focus on highlighting best practices in the report. 59. “Diaspora” is a word that covers very diverse realities. To the knowledge of the Special Rapporteur, no specific study exists on the linkage between existing diasporas and minority issues. The status of persons belonging to a diaspora raises prima facie multiple minority issues, often both in the country in which they reside, as well as in relationship to their country of origin, when they have one. The Special Rapporteur will propose a systematic study of minority issues in relationship to diasporas. 60. In the pursuit and preparation of the second priority of the mandate, that is to ensure the inclusion of minority issues in the post-2030 agenda (see para. 46 above), the Special Rapporteur intends to map all activities and documents related to minority issues in the multilateral system. The former Special Rapporteur covered such ground with regard to the United Nations in his 2022 thematic report to the General Assembly. 39 The ambit of a future thematic report will go beyond the Secretariat and also cover the activities of specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, evaluating whether the prescription contained in article 9 of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities was put into effect by such 38 39 14 Nicolas Levrat, ed., Minorités et organisation de l’Etat (Brussels, Bruylant, 1998). See A/77/246. The report was entitled “Protection of the rights of minorities in the institutions, structures and initiatives of the United Nations”. GE.24-00944

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