A/HRC/52/53 B. Early warning mechanisms and protection of the existence of minorities 23. In February 2022, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar noted that ethnic minority groups that faced discrimination were susceptible to traffickers, who promised work abroad, and women and girls were especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation.17 In March 2022, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights informed the Human Rights Council that the plight of the Rohingya people – a population persecuted for decades – remained dire, with no solution in sight.18 24. In March 2022, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues expressed grave concerns about the situation of minorities in the armed conflict in Ukraine and the treatment of minorities fleeing the conflict. He stressed the paramount importance of acknowledging that minorities, such as Roma, faced specific vulnerabilities and emphasized that all people of Ukraine, including people of African, Asian and Middle Eastern descent and Roma, should be granted equal protection.19 25. In March 2022, the former High Commissioner strongly urged the Government of Ethiopia to cooperate with the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia.20 The Commission expressed extreme alarm about the atrocities being committed in the country, stating that “any spread of violence against civilians, fuelled by hate speech and incitement to ethnic-based and gender-based violence, are early warning indicators and a precursor for further atrocity crimes”. 21 After concluding its first mission in August 2022,22 the Commission warned of the potential for further atrocities. The Commission reported rape and crimes of sexual violence perpetrated on a “staggering scale”, with Tigrayan women and girls brutally targeted. 23 26. In June 2022, in a statement on Afghanistan presented to the Human Rights Council at its fiftieth session, the former High Commissioner referred to direct attacks on ethnic and religious minorities and reiterated the key points she had made following her March 2022 visit to the country, including that the calls of religious and ethnic minorities, in particular those who had historically faced discrimination, marginalization and violence, must be heeded.24 27. In August 2022, OHCHR published its assessment of human rights in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, in the context of the application of counter-terrorism and counter-“extremism” strategies. The implementation of those strategies and associated policies had led, in the view of the Office, to interlocking patterns of severe and undue restrictions on a wide range of human rights.25 28. In August 2022, following her visit to Bangladesh, the former High Commissioner noted the need for space for more dialogue and for the voices of religious minorities and Indigenous Peoples, among others, to be heard, and stressed the importance of protecting 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 6 See the conference room paper of the Special Rapporteur entitled “Losing a generation: how the military junta is attacking Myanmar’s children and stealing their future”, para. 159, available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc50crp1-conference-room-paper-specialrapporteur-losing-generation. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/high-commissioner-says-accountabilityremains-crucial-any-solution-crisis. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/ukraine-un-expert-says-war-against-multiethnic-population-must-stop-calls. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/03/oral-update-situation-human-rights-tigray-regionethiopia-and-progress-made. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/06/oral-update-international-commission-humanrights-experts-ethiopia-un-human. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/members-human-rights-body-conclude-firstmission-ethiopia. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/un-experts-warn-potential-further-atrocitiesamid-resumption-conflict. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/06/high-commissioner-updates-human-rights-councilafghanistan. See https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/countries/2022-08-31/22-08-31-finalassesment.pdf. GE.22-29200