A/HRC/34/21 I. Introduction 1. In 2016, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on several incidents of discrimination and violent attacks against minorities that affected minority women disproportionately. In countries where there are armed conflicts, ethnic and religious communities have become more vulnerable and have suffered from gross violations of their human rights on grounds of their actual or perceived religious and/or ethnic backgrounds. 2. In many parts of the world, there has been a resurgence of movements fuelled by racial, religious, national or ethnic hatred. Political voices echoing and even actively advocating xenophobia or demonizing and scapegoating vulnerable groups are increasingly common. Some States continue to deny access to citizenship and even education to members of certain national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, even though they have been resident for generations in the States in question. 3. During 2016, concerns that regulations privileging security protection interests over human rights continued to increase. Fear has led to the adoption by some States of measures that impinge on the enjoyment of freedoms and the protection of human rights. An us-versus-them mentality, which further marginalizes and alienates persons belonging to minority communities, is slowly emerging. Children are being shamed and shunned for their ethnic and religious origins, and entire communities, suspected of collusion with terrorists, are being smeared. 4. In 2016, the year of the first high-level political forum on sustainable development, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities have continued to be affected by deep inequalities. These inequalities create tension, threaten social cohesion, fuel radicalization and sometimes result in political unrest and violent conflict. 5. During the reporting period, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other OHCHR officials spoke out against a range of human rights violations targeting minorities and urged States and international actors to address them at an early stage. 6. It is against this backdrop that OHCHR has committed, as a matter of priority, to pursuing its work to protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities in partnership with other United Nations entities, regional organizations, Member States, national human rights institutions, minority representatives, non-governmental institutions and other partners. II. Work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at headquarters and in the field 7. OHCHR has undertaken several initiatives to promote minority rights standards and call for their implementation at the global, regional and national levels. Throughout the year, the High Commissioner has made public statements stressing the importance of advancing non-discrimination and the protection of minorities. A. Regional and country engagement 8. In its 2016 reports on the protection of civilians, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) described how civilians of all backgrounds continue to suffer from the armed conflict, including through deliberate targeting by anti-government 3