A/HRC/FMI/2011/2 I. Introduction 1. The fourth session of the Forum on Minority Issues will focus on the topic “Guaranteeing the rights of minority women”. 2. Women belonging to minorities frequently experience unique challenges and multiple or intersecting forms of discrimination emanating from their status as members of minorities and as women or girls. This may make minority women and girls particularly vulnerable to violations and the denial of their rights in both public and private life. Without explicit recognition of the different life experiences of minority women and men, such discrimination will often go unnoticed and not be addressed adequately. It is therefore crucial that the diversity that exists within each minority group and the fact that minority women and girls may experience multiple forms of discrimination in the course of their interactions both inside and outside their community be recognized. Women may be regarded as subordinate or inferior by men, and minority women may additionally face discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality or religion from those outside their minority group. A gender perspective that takes into account such multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination is critical when addressing minority rights and the situation of minority women and girls in a given minority group and in a particular country. The rights of every single member of such minority groups must be respected fully and equally, in all circumstances. 3. The issues and concerns of minority women frequently receive a lower priority than the efforts made to ensure minority rights for the group in general. Women belonging to minority groups often struggle within their communities to advocate for their rights, which can be postponed as a result of the prioritization of the general concerns of the group. Barriers to the empowerment of some minority women, including lack of social or economic contact, networks or minority women’s support groups, and scarcity of female minority role models have an important impact on the enjoyment by minority women and girls of their human rights. Minority women may hesitate to voice their gender-specific grievances even within their groups, let alone outside them. Minority women’s rights could also benefit from increased attention by the broader movement for women’s rights. In turn, the women’s rights movement would also benefit from the specific experiences of minority women in their overall struggle for equality. II. Background 4. The aims and objectives of the Forum on Minority Issues were established by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/15, which requires that the Forum, under the guidance and preparation of the independent expert on minority issues: (a) Meet annually to provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; (b) Provide thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the independent expert; (c) Identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities; 1 1 2 General Assembly resolution 47/135, annex.