internationally agreed definition as to which groups constitute minorities. The Chair added that in some instances a numerical majority may also find itself in a minority-like position. She stressed the importance of promoting inclusion and highlighting the social and institutional proceedings which simply ignore minorities and do not celebrate or recognize national ethnic, cultural, religious, or linguistic heritages or differences. She explained that this is vital to accept and to work on, and that the differences must be protected by states, in line with the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, in order to preserve people’s history and culture, and to preserve their language and to preserve their identities. The Chair highlighted the need for a paradigm shift from multiculturalism to interculturalism, and explained that ethnicity, nation, race and gender are categories which intersect. She added that as societies are becoming increasingly rich and diverse, this richness should be seen as a power to be harnessed, and not as an obstacle. The Chair concluded by emphasizing the need to think of minorities from a human rights-based approach, so that new rights may exist, but also so that states guarantee and safeguard existing rights. Item 1.1 High-level segment Presentations for the high-level segment were made by the following panellists: Ms. Alice Nderitu, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide; Ms. Nassima Baghli, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); and Mr. Kairat Abdrakhmanov, High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Ms. Alice Nderitu, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide noted that the topic of the Forum goes to the core of her mandate. She explained that atrocity crimes, and genocide, are not random or spontaneous events. Genocide constitutes the end point of a process which develops over time, with several risk factors and warning signs present. The Special Adviser explained that her Office has developed a tool for identifying and analyzing these risk factors and early warning signs, called the ‘Framework for Analysis’, which is used by member states and civil society actors across the world working to advance atrocity prevention in their communities. She added that two of the most critical risk factors identified in the Framework for Analysis are directly related to the topic of this Forum: First, the presence of an armed conflict and second, patterns of discrimination and marginalization of protected groups, including ethnic and religious minorities. Preventing conflict and ensuring the protection of minorities are therefore key ingredients to effective atrocity prevention. The Special Adviser regretted the concerning trends across the world when it comes to both these risk areas. She added that we continue to witness a global surge in hateful and 4