A/HRC/61/65 I. Introduction 1. The present report was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/15 and 19/23. It contains the recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues at its eighteenth session, held in Geneva on 27 and 28 November 2025 on the theme “The contribution of minorities to diverse, resilient and peaceful societies”. The work of the Forum was guided by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Nicolas Levrat. The Chair of the session, appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council pursuant to Council resolution 6/15, was Caroline Ziadeh of Lebanon. About 975 participants from 78 countries registered for the session, including representatives of States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes and intergovernmental and regional organizations, as well as mechanisms in the field of human rights such as national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodies, non-governmental organizations, representatives of minorities, academics and experts on minority issues. 2. The recommendations contained in the present report are drawn primarily from the discussions of and contributions made by the participants at the eighteenth session of the Forum. The recommendations are based on international law as well as on standards and good practices in the field of protection of minority rights. They are aimed at providing guidance for the further implementation of, inter alia, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 3. Key elements of the international legal and normative framework from a human rights perspective include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. 4. The aim of the eighteenth session of the Forum was to address the contribution of minorities to diverse, resilient and peaceful societies. Participants recognized that minorities often faced tensions not only in relation to dominant groups, but also within and between minority communities, frequently rooted in long-standing structural discrimination, political and economic exclusion and unequal access to basic services. They highlighted during the discussions that challenges were experienced particularly acutely by marginalized groups within minorities, including women, youth, older persons, migrants, persons with disabilities and persons with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, who were subject to intersectional forms of discrimination both from dominant groups and within their own communities. Against that backdrop, the participants sought to underscore the transformative potential of inclusive societies grounded in representation, participation, non-discrimination and equality, in which minorities were recognized not merely as rights holders in need of protection but as active agents of peace, justice and collective resilience. During the discussions, the participants examined the root causes of exclusion, discrimination and intergroup tensions, highlighted good practices to prevent social tensions in daily life and institutional settings and explored ways to ensure that the contributions of minorities were fairly recognized and meaningfully integrated into national narratives, institutions and policies. Particular attention was given to the unique perspectives and essential role of persons belonging to minorities in rebuilding inclusive, stable and sustainable institutions in societies in transition, including post-conflict contexts. Participants were encouraged to share best practices and initiatives that demonstrated the active role of minority communities in advancing multilayered identities, promoting social justice and strengthening societal resilience. 5. The Forum was divided into three panel discussions, on the following themes: (a) “Building trust and social cohesion: addressing barriers to peaceful coexistence”, during which participants examined the structural drivers of mistrust, exclusion and intergroup tensions affecting relations both between minorities and dominant groups and within minority communities, and highlighted effective State and community initiatives to foster trust, including mediation, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, multilingual education and cultural expression in countering stigmatization; (b) “Recognizing the full contribution of 2 GE.25-21222