need for states to work together with civil society and international organisations to protect minority groups22. Mr. Igor Pimenov expressed his concerns on the linguistic minorities in Latvia. He mentioned that, by a government´s decision, the teaching in minority languages in kindergartens will be replaced by Latvian language and this decision was taken without consulting the concerned communities or the parents. He also raised his concerns on attacks on education rights of Russian speakers in Latvia about their right to education which limit their rights to preserve their identity, while leading to a forced assimilation23. Interactive Dialogue24 Participants presented various initiatives, such as the establishment of a body responsible for monitoring signals of crises while protecting minority activists at risk; the establishment of legal controls and procedures for anyone who violates the rights of minorities; the promotion of a more active role of the media in spreading discourse of coexistence among the various components of society; and the need to prevent marginalization of minorities in the States and the consequence successive genocides. Item VI- Conclusions remarks The Special Rapporteur on minority issues stated that thousand or so of civil society, from national governments from north and south who participated in the Forum as well as in the four regional forums helped to send a message on how to move forward, to do more or better. He stressed that tthirty years after the adoption of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of minorities, we must do much more and “the future depend on what we do today” by paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi. He mentioned few of main points raised during the forum: first, that not enough is being done at the international level, minorities are the last major group at the United Nations with no specific mechanism or protection for their Human Rights such as a permanent Forum or Voluntary Fund to provide financial backing as many recommendations clearly show this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. This said, he emphasized that the only new development has been the offerings the regional Forums to increase accessibility and visibility for many minorities, which was done under his mandate and there is no guarantee that they will be continuing after his tenure comes to an end later next year. He also highlighted that the most emphatic recommendation seems to be the need for a legally binding treaty on minority rights with an associated oversight mechanism which would guide both states and non-state actors. He stressed that this treaty was widely regarded as the best possible way forward for all major stakeholders since it would provide the opportunity to channel minority activism, assist diplomacy and also provide expertise into a systematic long-term conversation about ways to 22 The integral version of the statements can be consulted on the Human Rights Council Extranet: Pages - 15th session (ohchr.org) 23 The integral version of the statements can be consulted on the Human Rights Council Extranet: Pages - 15th session (ohchr.org) 24 Interventions on this item can be consulted on the Human Rights Council Extranet: Pages - 15th session (ohchr.org)