A/HRC/25/30 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 21 July 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-fifth session Agenda items 2 and 3 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights* Summary The present report is submitted pursuant to resolutions 13/12 and 22/4 of the Human Rights Council, which request that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submit to the Human Rights Council an annual report containing information on relevant developments in the work of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, as well as on the activities undertaken by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at its headquarters and in the field. In the course of 2013, and through its activities, OHCHR emphasized once again that minorities, owing to their status and their distinct identity, are often excluded from participation in society in various fields and at various levels, and are therefore in need of special protection. The activities undertaken during the year by OHCHR, at headquarters and in the field, were focused on strengthening system-wide engagement on minority issues, and on advocacy on minority rights, through knowledge-sharing, the use of mechanisms, and commitment to protect. * Late submission. GE.14-08970 (E) *1408970*