A/HRC/58/54 I. Introduction 1. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues was established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2005/79. It was subsequently extended by the Human Rights Council in successive resolutions, the most recent being resolution 52/5, by which the mandate of the Special Rapporteur was extended under the same terms as provided for in resolution 25/5. 2. The Special Rapporteur, Nicolas Levrat of Switzerland, was appointed by the Human Rights Council on 13 October 2023 and assumed his functions on 1 November 2023. Section II of the present thematic report provides a summary of his activities during 2024. 3. For the preparation of the thematic report, the Special Rapporteur carried out extensive desk research and issued a call for inputs that generated 10 written submissions from States, 1 from an international organization and 17 from non-State actors, including civil society organizations, academics and other stakeholders. In addition, interviews with persons belonging to minorities were conducted to explore some issues in more depth. The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for its support in the implementation of the mandate,1 as well as interns from the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva, who provide precious background research for the discharge of his mandate.2 4. The Special Rapporteur wishes to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council to the web page devoted to the mandate on minority issues, where general information is provided on the activities associated with the mandate, including communications, press statements, public appearances, country visits and thematic reports. 3 II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 5. The Special Rapporteur, following up on his commitment to highlight and contribute to the sharing of best practices towards pluralistic and diverse societies worldwide, worked on the launching of a global network on minority issues designed to encourage student-led projects addressing minority issues at universities worldwide. 4 This initiative aims to empower students from diverse backgrounds to collaboratively develop practical solutions to the specific challenges faced by minority groups. It also seeks to promote students as active participants in advancing inclusive and diverse societies globally by engaging youth as key agents of change. The Special Rapporteur thanks the European Academy of Bolzano and the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol for their support to this project. A. Country visits 6. Despite his best efforts and numerous interactions with Permanent Missions in Geneva, the Special Rapporteur was, unfortunately, unable to conduct an official country visit in 2024. He will continue the constructive dialogue with the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, China, Colombia, India, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Zambia and the European Union in 2025. B. Communications 7. In 2024, a total of 37 communications were sent by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. Of those, 30 were letters of allegations and 7 were urgent appeals. All of the 1 2 3 4 2 Special thanks for their contribution to this report to Fatuma Abdillahi Ali (OHCHR senior minority fellow), Manon Beury and Shafferan Sonneveld. The Special Rapporteur thanks Laure Bera Rutagengwa, Elie Chirat and Abla Zidani, students in the master’s degree programme at the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva, for their contributions to the present report. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Minorities/SRMinorities/Pages/SRminorityissuesIndex.aspx. A/HRC/55/51, para. 72. GE.25-00509