A/72/165 minorities, about whom 74 communications were sent. A total of 42 communications were sent concerning the specific situation of Roma around the world. In addition, there were 31 communications concerning human rights defenders working to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities who had suffered reprisals in connection with their human rights activities. V. Forum on Minority Issues 79. The Forum on Minority Issues, which replaced the Working Group on Minorities, was established in 2007 pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/15 and renewed in 2012 pursuant to resolution 19/23. It is mandated to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as to provide the matic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur. The Forum is also intended to identify best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives to advance the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 80. The Special Rapporteur is tasked with guiding the work of the Forum, preparing its annual session and reporting on the thematic recommendations of the Forum to the Human Rights Council. The Forum meets annually in Geneva for two days of thematic discussions. On average, more than 500 participants attend, including representatives of minorities, Member States, United Nations mechanisms, regional intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations. 81. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur thus complements and enhances the work of the Forum and the Special Rapporteur has fostered the complementary and mutual reinforcement of both mechanisms throughout her tenure. Since 2013, she has devoted her annual thematic report to the General Assembly to the same topic as the session of the Forum, as a means to contribute to and inform the discussions of the Forum. 82. The Special Rapporteur emphasizes the instrumental role played by the Forum in providing a platform for dialogue and reflection on issues pertaining to minorities and producing action-oriented recommendations that can be implemented by States and other stakeholders to fulfil the rights of minorities. She notes that the participation of minorities themselves in the Forum’s sessions is key to guaranteeing an inclusive and balanced discussion and serves as an example of inclusion of minorities in matters affecting them. She highlights that the views and contributions of minorities provide an invaluable assessment on the actual implementation of legislation, policies and international standards on minority rights. 83. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the challenges facing the Forum, including limited awareness of the Forum at the regional and local levels, lack of capacity to follow up on the implementation of its recommendations and financial constraints. She strongly believes that it is essential to ensure the effective continuation of the Forum and hopes that its role will become more p rominent and universally recognized in the years to come. 84. During the second half of her mandate, the Special Rapporteur has sought to reflect on ways to improve debate and discussion at the Forum, with a view to making its sessions more dynamic, constructive and focused on the topic of the session. From 2017, the Forum will be organized around panel discussions guided by questions proposed by a moderator, which will facilitate the process of formulating recommendations. 18/22 17-12138