A/78/195 minorities, the alarming rise of conflicts involving minorities and the dangers of artificial intelligence – all threats to which minorities are more vulnerable. Such a plan could serve as a catalyst to institutionally strengthen the United Nations h uman rights protection and mechanisms for minorities and could serve to rally the international community to make greater efforts to respect, protect and promote minority rights – and address directly institutional “inaction and negligence”. B. The institutional architecture of the United Nations to tackle “inaction and negligence”: funding, a permanent forum for minorities and a global draft treaty on the rights of minorities 74. Groups whose human rights are most at risk are the objects of treati es, platforms or initiatives to ensure that they are the focus of significant attention and efforts on the part of the United Nations and its entities – a phenomenon which has been strengthening, especially since the 1980s. This is true of many groups, inc luding women, children, migrants, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and people of African descent, but this is not the case for minorities and their human rights. This “inaction and negligence” calls for urgent and remedial steps, which in some cases have been promised for decades, such as in the case of a voluntary fund to support and assist minority presence and participation in various United Nations forums. 75. The Special Rapporteur has come to the conclusion as his mandate comes to an end that the taboo of minority rights must be broken at the United Nations. Minorities’ human rights concerns, their voices and their presence must be addressed as visibly and prominently as are those of other vulnerable groups – especially since they increasingly appear to be the victims of some of the gravest and most shocking and massive violations of human rights – to redress the invisibility and inaudibility of minorities at the United Nations. 76. In tandem with the relaunch of a guidance note of the Secretary-General on racial discrimination and protection of minorities that includes the mainstreaming and integration of minority rights in the whole United Nations system, the Special Rapporteur calls upon Member States to show support for and initiate ste ps towards the creation of (a) a dedicated voluntary fund for minorities; and (b) a permanent forum for minorities. 77. As the Special Rapporteur described in his 2023 annual report to the Human Rights Council, the latter would create a platform that woul d improve the capacity of the United Nations to address effectively the challenges facing minorities, would be composed “of representatives of minority groups, taking into account diversity, regional balance and gender parity” and would be convened on a ro tating basis in New York and Geneva to further enhance the “participation of minorities and of institutions and organizations that speak on their behalf in meetings of United Nations bodies” (A/HRC/52/27, para. 70). 78. In the same vein, the Special Rapporteur reiterates his recommendation to the General Assembly to adopt a resolution on enhancing the participation of minorities’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations bodies on issues affecting them, on the basis of a similar resolution for Indigenous Peoples, and, likewise, to include consultations with minority groups, a report by the Secretary General and a United Nations world conference on the rights of persons belonging to minorities (ibid., para. 81). 79. Lastly, the Special Rapporteur urges Member States to closely consider taking steps towards creating a new instrument to continue the “unfinished story” started 30 years ago with the initial recognition and strengthen ing of the human rights of 23-15818 19/21