The opening remarks relied on the following panelists: H.E. Mr.Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the UN General Assembly, (pre-recorded video ), H.E. Mr.Federico Villegas, the President of the Human Rights Council, Mr. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, H.E. Mr. Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities, (pre-recorded video), Mr.Fernand de Varennes, the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and Prof. Abwa Daniel, the Chair of the Forum6. The President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Csaba Körösi, encouraged Member States to recommit to the protection of minorities in the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Declaration. He stressed that there were broad concerns around the idea that minority issues are usually at the heart of conflicts, since the underlying causes of clashes have almost always to do with the violation of their rights. He recalled that the respect and implementation of minority rights require a genuine, honest conversation, and involvement of government institutions, all relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations. He also expressed his concern on the social media platforms, which are idea breeding ground for hate speech targeting minorities, exacerbating their vulnerability and leading to hate crime. He emphasized that 75% of the world's stateless belong to minorities and that minorities are under-represented in positions of power and in decision making. He called Member states to commit and pledge to protect the rights of minorities, first and foremost in their countries by nurturing diversity and inclusion through education, ensuring effective participation of minorities in decision making, implementing new national plans against discrimination, supporting the preservation of minority languages. Actively promoting respectful cultural, religious and linguistic diversity of all persons. The President of the Human Rights Council, H.E. Mr. Federico Villegas, presented his welcoming words and commends the Forum as a unique venue to reflect on issues pertaining to the enjoyment of all human rights by minorities through dialogue and cooperation between all stakeholders. He also emphasized that it is time to examine the diverse ways in which the Declaration has been used and implemented in practice, not only the achievements but also the gaps in the minority rights protection. By quoting the UN Secretary-General, he stressed that we are dealing with outright inaction and negligence in the protection of minority rights. He recalled that the Council has taken significant action to ensure that human rights on minority issues remain firmly in the Council's agenda, all of which can enrich the discussions occurring today, including ensuring the continuation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues and established a decision to ensure a special fund to support the participation of civil society in the Forum. He also highlighted that the Forum, established by the Council in 2007, has played an essential role in advancing the rights of minorities all over the world. He recalled the opportunity over the Forum to actively contribute to the set of recommendations and build on the recommendations. Finally, he expressed his concern on any act of intimidation or reprisal against individuals or groups that participate in any of the meetings in relation to the cooperation with any of the 6 The integral version of the statements can be consulted on the Human Rights Council Extranet: Pages - 15th session (ohchr.org)