A/77/246 8. The fourteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues was held in hybrid format on 2 and 3 December 2021 on the same theme. It involved 670 delegates from some 50 countries. The recommendations of the Forum on the 2021 theme of conflict prevention and the protection of the human rights of minorities, which were submitted in a separate report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/49/81), were drawn primarily from the discussions of and contributions made by the almost 1,500 participants in the regional forums and the Forum on Minority Issues. Further information on the fourteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues can be found in the annual report of the Special Rapporteur to the Human Rights Council (see A/HRC/49/46, paras. 16–19). 9. The fifteenth session of the Forum will focus on the thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and will take place in Geneva in December 2022. C. Communications 10. In 2021, a total of 298 communications were sent by the Special Rapporteur, a very significant increase in comparison with the previous year. Of those, 62 were urgent appeals, 195 were letters of allegation and 41 were letters commenting on and raising concerns about specific legislation, policies and practices. All of them were sent jointly with other special procedures mandate holders. 11. With regard to geographical distribution, 57 of the communications were for the Asia-Pacific region, 26 for Africa, 12 for Eastern Europe, 39 for Western Europe, 3 for Latin America and the Caribbean and 161 for others, including private companies. D. Country visits: visit of the Special Rapporteur to the United States of America 12. The Special Rapporteur visited the United States from 8 to 22 November 2021. 2 Among the main issues he addressed was the legal landscape for the protection of human rights inside the country. There is no comprehensive national human rights legislation or mechanism to ensure that the country’s population can enjoy the full range of human rights generally recognized in international law. The Constitution provides incomplete human rights protections and interpretations have been restrictive and inconsistent with international human rights standards, as recent judgments of the United States Supreme Court have shown. 13. Among other issues of concern are restrictions on the right to vote and the political participation of minorities, which have a pronounced impact on minorities such as African Americans, Hispanics and indigenous peoples, in particular. In some states, there is disenfranchisement of vast numbers of felons, which predominantly affects African Americans and other minorities. There is also disenfranchisement through gerrymandering of electoral districts to privilege particula r groups of voters, the imposition of onerous voter identification requirements, the manipulation of polling station locations in a way that disadvantages minorities and the relocation of motor vehicle offices, making it more difficult for groups, such as certain minorities, to obtain identification. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that many of the obstacles minorities face in the exercise of their right to vote are unreasonable and discriminatory. __________________ 2 22-11516 See A/HRC/49/46/Add.1. 5/21