A/78/195 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, submits the present report to the General Assembly pursuant to his mandate, as established in Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/79. In the report, the Special Rapporteur summarizes his activities carried out in 2022 and 2023 since his previous report to the General Assembly (A/77/246) and provides an overview of the main thematic priorities, accomplishments and developments during his six -year tenure as mandate holder. He also presents a thematic section on the way forward to address the international community’s “inaction and negligence” with regard to the protection of minority rights. The Special Rapporteur also provides some observations on the work and direction of the Forum on Minority Issues and the regional forums convened during his mandate and identifies emerging issues and challenges relating to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. 2. The Special Rapporteur expresses his thanks and gratitude to the numerous individuals and entities that have supported and collaborated with him in his work as mandate holder during his tenure, including minority representatives and communities, civil society and human rights organizations, Member States, especially those who are part of the group of friends of minority issues, entities of the United Nations system, and academic and research organizations. He would like to particularly thank the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the continuous support provided to him as mandate holder, and especially the human rights officers who worked with him during this period. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur in 2022 and 2023 3. The Special Rapporteur wishes to draw the attention of the General Assembly to the web page devoted to the thematic mandate on minority issues, where general information is provided on the activities associated with the mandate, including communications, press statements, public appearances, country visits and thematic reports. 1 An overview of the activities of the mandate holder between August and December 2022 is provided in the report presented to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-second session. 2 Exceptionally, the Human Rights Council extended the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for three months, until 1 November 2023. 4. The Special Rapporteur has engaged in a large number of activities to promote and raise awareness of the human rights of minorities. These have included: providing consultations surrounding and participating in the high-level General Assembly event to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities during the seventy-seventh session of the Assembly, held in New York; attending and speaking at several dozen conferences in person or online around the world; and contributing to various other awareness-raising activities, such as seminars with students and young people, as well as giving media interviews. A. Country visits 5. The Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to Paraguay from 14 to 25 November 2022 at the invitation of the Government. The country visit report will be submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-fifth session, to be held in 2024. __________________ 1 2 23-15818 See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Minorities/SRMinorities/Pages/SRminorityissuesIndex.aspx . A/HRC/52/27. 3/21