A/74/160 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues pursuant to his mandate under Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/79, extended most recently by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 34/6. 2. In the report, the Special Rapporteur provides a summary of his activities since his previous report to the General Assembly (A/73/205), then introduces a study on the concept of a minority in international law. The Special Rapporteur intends to use this study to provide much needed clarity and greater certainty in the understanding and practice of who is a minority for the purposes of the mandate and in the recognition and promotion of their human rights by States, including through enhanced engagement with the international human rights mechanisms and the United Nations system in general. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 3. As part of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has engaged in a number of activities, with the aim being (a) to conduct thematic studies; (b) to conduct country visits; (c) to communicate with Governments and other actors regarding alleged violations of the rights of minorities; (d) to promote good practices; and (e) to increase awareness and understanding on the human rights of minorities that underpin his mandate on minority issues. Some of the focus areas addressed and activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur since is previous report are highlighted below. A. Activities related to thematic priorities 4. The Special Rapporteur identified four thematic priorities in his first statement to the General Assembly in October 2017. In 2018, in his first year, the Speci al Rapporteur focused on the theme of statelessness as a minority issue, and he often raised this issue in presentations and through his participation in activities around the world, as highlighted in the present report. In addition, he convened a workshop in Galway, Ireland, with the participation of leading experts on statelessness for the purpose of elaborating a report and practical guidelines on how to effectively address policies, legislation and practices that lead to violations of the right to natio nality for millions of people, who face the risk of statelessness. Most recently, on 3 July 2019, the Special Rapporteur, jointly with other special procedures mandate holders, publicly expressed his grave concerns over the current situation in the state o f Assam in India, and the review of the National Register of Citizens, where judicial and other procedures could create an exceptionally unstable situation, with a potential of between 2 million and 4 million people, mainly members of Muslim or Bengali minorities, becoming stateless in 2019, thereby also preparing the ground for another future humanitarian crisis in a region where the Rohingya minority already number 1 million vulnerable individuals. 5. The Special Rapporteur also began activities in 2019 r elated to his second thematic priority on education, language and the human rights of minorities, an issue of great significance for the identity of linguistic and other minorities. Regional forums and consultations on this second thematic priority are pla nned for the AsiaPacific and the Africa-Middle East regions. Education, language and the human rights of minorities will also be the focus of the next Forum, to be held in Geneva on 28 and 29 November 2019. It is also hoped that a practical guide on this issue will be developed in 2020. 4/19 19-11967