A/HRC/49/81 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 31 December 2021 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-ninth session 28 February–1 April 2022 Agenda item 5 Human rights bodies and mechanisms Recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues at its fourteenth session on the theme “Conflict prevention and the protection of the human rights of minorities” Report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues Summary The recommendations in the present report are drawn primarily from the discussions and contributions of participants at the fourteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues, held on 2 and 3 December 2021, and from those made at four regional forums on the theme “Conflict prevention and the protection of the human rights of minorities” conducted under four thematic panel discussions on (a) the root causes of contemporary conflicts involving minorities; (b) the legal and institutional framework: the human rights of minorities and conflict prevention; (c) a focus on the rights of minorities and effective early prevention of conflicts; and (d) towards a lasting peace: positive initiatives to better protect the rights of minorities to prevent conflicts. The recommendations are based on international law and standards. They aim to provide guidance to further implement the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. GE.21-19894(E)