A/HRC/22/49 and on Myanmar, urging an end to violence, and protection of vulnerable communities, including the Rohingya, in Rakhine State.9 F. Update on the Forum on Minority Issues 15. Pursuant to resolution 19/23, the Independent Expert guides the sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues, prepares its annual meetings and reports its recommendations to the Human Rights Council. The Forum has been successful in identifying and analysing best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the 1992 Declaration on Minorities and has produced tangible outcomes in the form of thematic recommendations. The Independent Expert has continued her efforts to promote the recommendations of the Forum. As a practical measure, a publication was produced compiling recommendations of the first four annual sessions in one accessible document. It has been widely disseminated and is available in online and CD-ROM formats.10 16. The fifth session of the Forum was held on 27 and 28 November 2012. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration, the Forum focused on the theme ―Implementing the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities: identifying positive practices and opportunities‖. It was chaired by Soyata Maiga, a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The session was opened with a video message from the Secretary-General,11 and statements from the President of the Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The over 400 participants included Member States from all regions, expert representatives of minority groups, United Nations bodies, mechanisms and specialized agencies, representatives of regional intergovernmental bodies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Participants discussed challenges to implementation of the Declaration, as well as positive practices. The recommendations are available in document A/HRC/22/60. III. The rights of linguistic minorities A. Introduction 17. The following discussion provides an overview of linguistic minority issues globally and the challenges that confront both linguistic minorities and States seeking to manage linguistically diverse societies. The report is based on information provided to the Independent Expert by minorities, Governments, NGOs, academic bodies, United Nations specialized agencies and other stakeholders; information provided in the course of country visits; and statements made to the Forum on Minority Issues. 18. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) identifies more than 6,000 languages spoken globally, most of which can be considered minority languages. For minorities, language is a central element and expression of their identity and of key importance in the preservation of group identity. Language is often particularly important to non-dominant communities seeking to maintain their distinct group and cultural identity, sometimes under conditions of marginalization, exclusion and discrimination. Today significant challenges are faced by minorities in all regions who 9 10 11 6 See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12716&LangID=E. See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Minorities2012/Pages/Publications.aspx. See http://downloads2.unmultimedia.org.s3.amazonaws.com/public/video/SGVM_MinorityIssues_2012.mov