Format of the Forum The Forum followed the procedure developed over its previous sessions. To help focus the discussions and ensure that they would be interactive, each agenda item was introduced by several invited panellists, followed by interventions from other participants. Outcome documents The present document is prepared in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 19/23, which requests the Chair to prepare "a summary of the discussion of the Forum, to be made available to all participants of the Forum". This summary is to be complemented by the outcome document containing the recommendations of the Forum presented by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues to the Human Rights Council at its 46th session in March 2021. This summary does not provide the full details of all presentations that were made during the Forum’s proceedings. The list of speakers and the statements submitted to the Secretariat of the Forum on Minority Issues can be accessed at the Forum webpage. Item I. Opening meeting The President of the Human Rights Council H.E. Ambassador Elisabeth TichyFisslberger welcomed all participants and thanked them for their flexibility in participating in the virtual session. She stressed that since its establishment in 2007, through the Human Rights Council resolution 6/15, the Forum has discussed some of the key challenges and issues affecting minorities globally, in a spirit of open dialogue and mutual respect and understanding. She also underlined that in order to meaningfully address the discussions, the full and effective participation of minorities themselves was required. In this light, she remarked she was pleased to see that, in spite of the challenges associated with virtual meetings, minorities from all over the world were part of the Forum, bringing their voice and personal experiences to the discussion on challenges and good practices in the protection and promotion of minority rights. The President of the Council stated how minorities all over the world are the target on social media of the incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, and other forms of intolerance and racist expressions that constitute hate speech. She added that blaming and scapegoating of minorities is at times exploited for political reasons, or it is present owing to longstanding and entrenched stigmatization and marginalization. She also mentioned that in the context of COVID-19, hate speech in social media against minorities has further increased. The President of the Council expressed the commitment of the Human Rights Council and its subsidiary mechanisms to combat hate speech against minorities wherever it exists and to promote freedom of expression and equality for all and in all fields of life, particularly for those most marginalized. 2