Research  methodology   This  research  is  based  entirely  on  the  UPR  Info  statistics  and  database2,  which  has   introduced  the  “minorities”  label  into  the  search  system  from  the  very  beginning.  The   Special  Rapporteur  on  minority  issues  with  the  cooperation  of  the  UPR  Info  team  did   their  best  to  make  sure  that  the  labelling  is  in  full  compliance  with  the  UN  Declaration   on  the  Rights  of  Persons  belonging  to  National  or  Ethnic,  Religious  and  Linguistic   Minorities.  However,  as  the  full  database  contains  more  than  35,000  recommendations   at  the  moment3,  there  might  be  cases  when  certain  relevant  recommendations  are  not   labelled  under  “minorities”  as  they  should  be.  The  Special  Rapporteur  on  minority  issues   is  constantly  monitoring  such  possibilities  and  is  working  closely  with  UPR  Info  to  ensure   consistency.  This  current  analysis  is  therefore  based  on  the  status  of  the  database  as  of   1  September  2014  and  does  not  reflect  changes  in  labelling  that  might  have  occurred   after  this  date.  The  research  uses  rounded  numbers  to  ease  the  understanding  of  the   reader.  The  research  is  analyzing  the  recommendations  based  on  regional  groups   according  to  the  United  Nations  geographical  regional  arrangement  which  is  the   following:  African  Group  (Africa),  Asia-­‐Pacific  Group  (Asia),  Eastern  European  Group   (EEG),  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  Group  (GRULAC),  Western  European  and  Others   Group  (WEOG),  and  Others4.       Summary  of  Key  Findings     The  analysis  of  the  1st  cycle  of  the  Universal  Periodic  Review  revealed  that  112  Member   States  (MSs)  issued  895  recommendations  about  national,  ethnic,  religious  or  linguistic   minorities  to  137  MSs.  Minorities  were  the  9th  most  discussed  topic  at  the  1st  cycle  of   the  Human  Rights  Council’s  UPR  process  and  constituted  4.2%  of  the  total  21,353   recommendations5.    Recommendation  on  minorities  centered  on  Europe,  43  European   MSs  received  such  recommendations,  followed  by  28  African  MSs.                                                                                                                         2  http://www.upr-­‐info.org     3  As  of  1  September  2014     4  For  the  full  list  of  countries,  check:  http://www.un.org/depts/DGACM/RegionalGroups.shtml   5  The  first  10  most  discussed  issues  were  the  following:  international  instruments  (4317),  women’s  rights   (3698),  rights  of  the  child  (3459),  torture  and  other  CID  treatment  (1722),  justice  (1556),  detention   conditions  (1399),  human  rights  education  and  training  (929),  death  penalty  (914),  minorities  (895)  and   special  procedures  (881).   4