A/HRC/61/41 8. From 11 to 19 January 2025, the Special Rapporteur carried out an academic visit to China, at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. During the visit, which was restricted to Beijing, he held a meeting with academics from the Academy on issues related to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as meetings at the China University of Political Science and Law, the Minzu University of China and China Foreign Affairs University. He also held meetings with the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Education, the National Religious Affairs Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 9. On 28 January, the Special Rapporteur participated in the online event on the theme “Engaging Romani civil society: a dialogue with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues”, as part of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The event was organized by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and participants heard views from the Special Rapporteur, the Chair of Philosophy for Peace of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), representatives of OHCHR, the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies and Romani civil society, including the Roma Advisory Council. 10. On 20 and 21 February, the Special Rapporteur attended the silver jubilee celebration of International Mother Language Day organized by UNESCO and participated in a high-level panel discussion on the theme “How multilingual education is building inclusive societies and supporting lifelong learning”. 11. On 7 March, the Special Rapporteur participated in the technical meeting of the United Nations network on racial discrimination and protection of minorities and presented the plan for activities in furtherance of his mandate in 2025. 12. On 9 and 10 April, the Special Rapporteur participated in a conference entitled “From promise to action: advancing SDG16 for justice and reform”, organized by the National Commission for Human Rights of Pakistan in Islamabad. Speaking as a member of the panel on the theme “Law enforcement reforms and equal protection”, the Special Rapporteur highlighted key human rights obligations that States must report on in relation to law enforcement practices, in particular with regard to minority protection and non-discrimination. In addition, he discussed how reporting processes could be used more effectively to push for accountability and reform in domestic contexts. He discussed how international human rights instruments could be leveraged to strengthen protections for minorities in national law enforcement systems. The Special Rapporteur met with authorities, civil society organizations and the Chairperson of the National Commission for Human Rights to learn more about and to discuss minority issues in Pakistan. 13. On 23 April, the Special Rapporteur participated in a research seminar series at the Institute of Business of the University in Madrid, where he presented his research on the law of diversity from the perspective of the protection of international human rights. He held a session with students, during which he discussed his experiences serving as the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. 14. On 25 April, the Special Rapporteur delivered a keynote speech at the launch of the report of South Asia Collective, entitled “South Asia state of minorities report 2024: economic, political and social participation and representation of minorities”. 15. On 10 and 11 May, the Special Rapporteur participated in a conference under theme “Re-imagine self-determination 2025” that was hosted by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization in Madeira, Portugal. At the conference, the Special Rapporteur chaired the session on the theme “Voices from peoples: resisting new forms of colonization”. 16. On 14 May, the Special Rapporteur presented the priorities he had set for the realization of his mandate and his work as a special procedure mandate holder in an interactive dialogue with students at the University of Geneva. 17. On 20 May, the Special Rapporteur met with the subcommittee on human rights of the European Parliament in Geneva. GE.25-20927 3