A/HRC/25/66 I. Introduction 1. The present document, prepared in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 19/23, contains the recommendations that emanated from the sixth session of the Forum, which sought to provide concrete and tangible outcomes in the form of thematic recommendations of practical value to all stakeholders. 2. The sixth session of the Forum on Minority Issues, which was held on 26 and 27 November 2013, focused on practical and concrete measures aimed at guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities. The Chair of the session was Hedina Sijerčić of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The work of the Forum was guided by the Independent Expert on minority issues, Rita Izsák. The participants, numbering over 500, included representatives of Governments, numerous representatives of minority communities from all regions of the world, and representatives of treaty bodies, special procedures, United Nations specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental bodies, national human rights institutions and civil society. 3. The recommendations contained in the present document are tailored for and addressed to the wide range of stakeholders responsible for the promotion and protection of minority rights, including States Members of the United Nations, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations, and persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities as the bearers of these rights. 4. The recommendations are based on the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992), as well as other international and regional human rights standards and principles developed by different stakeholders and domestic legislation. The jurisprudence and general comments of treaty bodies, as well as relevant reports and recommendations from different special procedures, including the work of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, have informed the present recommendations. This document also reflects all inputs received from participants in the Forum. 5. The range of issues included in the recommendations is not exhaustive. It is hoped that the recommendations will be interpreted in a constructive manner, in cooperation and open dialogue with religious minority communities in the light of the obligations of States to implement human rights standards effectively in practice. 6. The recommendations are phrased in broad terms and can be implemented in countries with diverse historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. A great variety of country and minority situations exist, and consequently, different measures may be required to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities within a given State. The Forum also reiterated the fact that such measures ought to be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they achieve their required objectives. The Forum has consistently emphasized that standard solutions are generally neither possible nor desirable, and that its recommendations should therefore be used as a source of general guidance. II. General considerations 7. An inclusive approach to defining which groups fall within the scope of religious minorities would be one that is in line with the Human Rights Committee’s general comment No. 23 (1994) on the rights of minorities, which emphasizes that “the existence of an ethnic, religious or linguistic minority in a given State party does not depend upon a decision by that State party but requires to be established by objective criteria” (para. 5.2). 3