11th Session, Geneva, 29 and 30 November 2018 2. General Objectives The Forum on minority issues aims to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. The Eleventh Forum on Minority Issues aims to identify the main challenges faced by persons belonging to minorities in the context of statelessness and to promote dialogue and cooperation in order to identify effective solutions. The Forum shall analyze practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives in addressing statelessness as a human rights issue, in line with the principles and rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and other relevant international instruments. The Forum shall, inter alia, examine effective state legislation, policies and programmes as well as civil society initiatives in this regard. Furthermore, the Forum shall aim to highlight the critical role of international and regional organizations and international, regional and bilateral cooperation in eliminating statelessness affecting minorities. 3. Participants The Forum shall be open to the participation of states, United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and mechanisms in the field of human rights, national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodies, academics and experts on minority issues, representatives of minorities, minority and non-governmental organizations. 4. Areas of Discussion In light of the main objectives of the Forum, the discussions will address the following themes that reflect the main challenges and issues in the field of statelessness and the human rights of persons belonging to minorities:  Root causes and consequences of statelessness affecting minorities: preventing statelessness through a human rights approach Statelessness has a significant negative impact on a person’s ability to enjoy fully human rights and fundamental freedoms and have access to remedy for human rights 2