A/HRC/55/35 I. Introduction 1. In March 2022, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 49/14 on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. In that resolution, the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to present an annual report containing information on relevant developments of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, and on the activities undertaken by OHCHR at headquarters and in the field that contribute to the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 2. The General Assembly adopted the Declaration without a vote on 18 December 1992 through resolution 47/135. It is the only United Nations instrument entirely dedicated to minority rights to date. The adoption of the Declaration, with its four pillars,1 was a landmark achievement, a step towards promoting equality, protecting communities, providing a voice and preventing conflict.2 The Declaration provides specific guidance to States on protecting minorities from discrimination and it has influenced important legal developments. 3 3. The year 2023 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Commemorating these important milestones, OHCHR launched the Human Rights 75 Initiative, which was aimed at harking back to the spirit that led every Member State to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to base local, national and global decisions, across all areas of policy, on the intrinsic, and equal, value of every human life.4 Many of the activities reflected in the present report were undertaken in the course of the year as part of the Human Rights 75 Initiative. II. Minorities and the Human Rights 75 Initiative 4. In the framework of the Human Rights 75 Initiative, in March 2023, the High Commissioner put a spotlight onto racial justice, calling upon States to take concrete steps – with the effective participation of those affected and their communities – to tackle persistent and emerging forms of racial discrimination and long-standing human rights violations, including those rooted in legacies of enslavement and colonialism. 5 In addition, a number of the OHCHR field presences conducted activities in the context of the Human Rights 75 Initiative. 5. For example, in July and August, the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) held a series of workshops in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra on diversity as a tool for promoting and protecting human rights, with a particular focus on minority rights. The workshops brought together a total of 80 participants, including the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Component Affairs, and representatives of government, diverse ethno-religious components, the Religious Endowments and civil society organizations. The workshops produced concrete recommendations to strengthen the promotion and protection of minority rights in Iraq.6 6. In September, OHCHR, the United Nations country team in the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic held workshops on the adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. This series of activities built on 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 Namely, protection of the existence of minorities, non-discrimination, protection of identity, and participation. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/05/30th-anniversary-marks-landmark-moment-minorityrights. A/78/306, para. 2; and see https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/ga_47-135/ga_47-135.html. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/events/2023/human-rights-75-high-level-event. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/03/concrete-action-needed-end-racialdiscrimination-un-human-rights. See https://iraq.un.org/en/244001-unami-human-rights-office-hosts-workshop-diversity-tool-promoteuniversality-human-rights. GE.23-26212