A/HRC/55/70 I. Introduction 1. The present report was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/15 and 19/23. It contains the recommendations made by the Forum on Minority Issues at its sixteenth session, held in Geneva on 30 November and 1 December 2023, on the theme “Minorities and cohesive societies: equality, social inclusion and socioeconomic participation”. The work of the Forum was guided by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Nicolas Levrat. The Forum was co-chaired by the President of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Petra Roter, and member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Elena Lazar. There were more than 570 participants from 74 countries, including representatives of States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and mechanisms in the field of human rights, national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodies, minority groups and non-governmental organizations and academics and experts on minority issues. 2. The aim of the sixteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues was to tackle the multiple challenges faced by minority communities worldwide, focusing on strengthening their socioeconomic participation and ensuring equality and social inclusion. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Forum was intended to promote work towards a future with no poverty and reduced inequality, where peace, justice and strong institutions prevail within cohesive societies. While minority groups, which are often among the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable, are not specifically mentioned in the Sustainable Development Goals, their protection needs should be explicitly recognized in the context of efforts to honour the pledge to leave no one behind and to endeavour to reach the furthest behind first. The Forum looked at the lived realities of contemporary societies in which minority groups often grapple with the persistent challenges of systemic inequities and discrimination, hindering their access to vital resources and equal opportunities in various spheres, such as education, employment and health care. At the same time, the Forum recognized the integrative role played by those genuinely cohesive and inclusive societies that manage to create conducive environments in which dignity and the potential of all individuals, regardless of their ethnic, religious or linguistic identity, are promoted and valued and in which, rather than merely surviving, minority communities thrive and become essential contributors to a sustainable and shared future. 3. The Forum was divided into four panel discussions: (a) “Challenges to inclusion and equality: barriers to the social and economic participation of persons belonging to minority groups”, which was aimed at addressing the systemic and structural challenges and discrimination that minority groups might face, including the unique obstacles for women and girls belonging to minority groups, and exploring the factors placing them at a disadvantage, such as language or other requirements or lack of educational opportunities; (b) “Socioeconomic empowerment”, in which participants explored ways of amplifying the economic participation of people belonging to minority groups and emphasized equal opportunities in society, employment and entrepreneurship, with special attention given to economic support for migrants and refugees belonging to minority groups, in particular with a view to empowering young people; (c) “Legal and structural approaches to more inclusive societies”, in which participants discussed legislation, policies and the provision of public goods and services that respected the rights of minority groups to equality without discrimination and addressed access to health care, how legislation could increase opportunities for minority groups and the importance of equal access to technology and fostering digital literacy within minority communities; and (d) “Protection and promotion of the rights of persons belonging to minority groups towards cohesive societies”, in which positive examples, good practices and legal and institutional frameworks and policies that effectively safeguarded the rights of persons belonging to minority groups and promoted the inclusion of such persons in society were highlighted. 4. The recommendations made by the Forum at its sixteenth session are set out below, organized under the four agenda items that framed the discussion during the session. The recommendations: 2 GE.24-00955