available to all Forum participants in advance of the Forum, and formed the basis for the discussions.2 Format of the Forum The Forum followed the procedure developed over its previous sessions. To help focus the discussions and ensure that they would be interactive, each agenda item was introduced by several pre-selected presentations, followed by interventions from other participants based on a sign-up sheet. This year, the panellists were also given the opportunity, time permitting, to answer or comment on the participants’ questions and interventions. Outcome documents The present document is prepared in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 19/23, which requests the Chair to prepare “a summary of the discussion of the Forum, to be made available to all participants of the Forum”. This summary is to be complemented by the outcome document containing the recommendations of the Forum presented by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues to the Human Rights Council at its 34th regular session in March 2017. This summary does not provide the full details of all presentations that were made during the Forum’s proceedings. The consolidated list of speakers and, where available, the full text of their presentations can be found on the website of the Forum at the following address: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Minority/Pages/Session9.aspx Item I. Opening meeting The Vice-President of the Human Rights Council, H.E. Ambassador Negash Kebret Botora, welcomed all participants and hailed the unique opportunity that the Forum offers for minority representatives, governments and UN and other national and international entities to discuss and cooperate with each other. He welcomed the session’s thematic focus and affirmed that the Human Rights Council, including through its Special Procedures, played an important role in drawing international attention to humanitarian crises in different regions across the globe, seeking to prevent, address and mitigate them. He hoped the Forum would act as a catalyst for action to better prevent and address the impact of humanitarian crises on minority communities. He concluded by recalling the commitment of the Human Rights Council to protect the rights and lives of all individuals who cooperate with the United Nations and its mechanisms in the field of human rights. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, acknowledged that members of minority communities are among the most vulnerable victims in situation of humanitarian emergency, both because of pre-existing inequalities that are likely to be exacerbated in crisis, and because of sectarian ideologies that seek to dominate or crush other identities in conflict. He recalled the commitment by his Office 2 See A/HRC/FMI/2015/1 and A/HRC/FMI/2015/2 available on the Forum’s website. 2