and, in the worst case, threatens the rule of law and democracy. Persons belonging to minorities, especially women, are often targeted by hate speech both offline and online. Minorities within minorities are in a particularly vulnerable situation, like sexual and gender minorities with an immigrant background. - Ensuring the rights of minority women and girls in post-conflict situations is of paramount importance, as they play a significant role in contributing to the prevention of conflict and its non-recurrence. Item 5: Towards a lasting peace: positive initiatives to better protect the rights of minorities to prevent conflicts Participants were invited to focus on practical solutions designed to prevent violent conflicts involving minorities. Participants were expected to discuss the role of United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society and other stakeholders. In order to further clarify positive initiatives to prevent conflicts, participants were invited to consider the Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights and its 18 commitments. More specifically, participants were called on to reflect on the commitment by faith-based and civil society actors to exchange on practices in areas of mediation, early detection of communal tensions and remedial techniques. Participants were invited to debate the role of minority youth and women as valuable innovators and agents of change, whose contributions should be seen as an essential part of preventing conflicts and building peaceful communities. Participants were also expected to reflect on the benefits of minority youth and minority women ownership and leadership in conflict prevention processes. Presentations on the topic under discussion were made by the following panellists: Ms. Farah Mihlar, Lecturer, College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter; Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York; and Ms. Mireille Camitatu Olungakana, Peace and Development Advisor, United Nations Cameroon. Ms. Farah Mihlar, Lecturer, College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter explained that conflict fault lines in Sri Lanka have changed from ethnicity to religion, adding that the causes of conflict remain unaddressed, victims have been denied truth, justice and accountability and there has been minimal reconciliation. She stated that as long as minorities remain in the margins of state-nation building; excluded, neglected, framed as ‘outsiders’, grievances will develop or fester. Ms. Mihlar explained that minority groups in many states are increasingly being discriminated, securitized, and dehumanised, often due to identity politics, majoritarian nationalism, and competition for resources. She recommended that together with the strengthening of the legal and normative framework for the protection 14