A/HRC/58/34 I. Introduction 1. In April 2024, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 55/15 on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. In that resolution, the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to present an annual report containing information on relevant developments of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, and on the activities undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at headquarters and in the field that contribute to the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 2. In its resolution 55/15, the Human Rights Council urged States, with a view to enhancing the implementation of the Declaration and to ensuring the full enjoyment of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, to take appropriate measures by, inter alia, advancing the adoption and implementation of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and developing and implementing effective anti-discrimination measures and policies in order to effectively eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons belonging to such minorities and strengthen advocacy against discrimination. The adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation is also a long-standing recommendation of the other United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, including the universal periodic review and human rights treaty bodies, which warrants making this thematic issue the focus of this year’s report. 3. The adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, which have the purpose and effect of prohibiting all forms of discrimination, is an essential step in the effort to realize the right to non-discrimination. To that effect, States should pass laws banning all forms of discrimination recognized by international law, ensure that this right to non-discrimination is enforced and implement measures to address historical or structural discrimination, which has a disproportionate impact on those in situations of vulnerability, such as persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. 1 4. Many of the activities and developments highlighted in the present report were carried out throughout the year to support States in accelerating the adoption and implementation of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. Those efforts also focused on creating and implementing effective measures and policies to eliminate all forms of discrimination against national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and to enhance advocacy against discrimination. II. Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and minorities A. Work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the advancement of anti-discrimination laws 5. In 2024, OHCHR expanded its support for efforts to enact comprehensive anti-discrimination laws worldwide, engaging at the country level with Governments, legislators and civil society in Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. OHCHR also launched Russian and Spanish translations of the publication Protecting Minority Rights: A Practical Guide to Developing Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Legislation at events in Bishkek and at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, respectively. Both events were streamed online to expand the outreach to Russian- and Spanish-speaking legal practitioners and civil society organizations. Arabic and Chinese translations were also published during 2024. 1 2 See OHCHR and Equal Rights Trust, Protecting Minority Rights: A Practical Guide to Developing Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Legislation (United Nations publication, 2023). GE.25-00006