A/HRC/49/54 She looks forward to receiving examples of good practice of measures implemented by States in this area, as well as measures that empower marginalized and vulnerable migrants to develop their cultures. She would also like to learn more about debates on balancing different rights relating to cultural rights of migrants and people on the move. She is looking forward to engaging closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. 50. Other themes that the Special Rapporteur would like to consider include the cultural rights of persons with disabilities, the fragmentation in the international responses to cultural rights and diversity, scientific and academic freedoms, and issues relating to restitution and reparation. 51. In addition to thematic reports, communications are important in promoting and protecting cultural rights. The Special Rapporteur is grateful for the information received and open to receiving more from civil society organizations and other stakeholders. The number of communications sent to Governments and other actors about alleged violations of cultural rights has progressively increased, illustrative of the broader understanding stakeholders have acquired on cultural rights. To date, the Special Rapporteur has either joined or initiated 340 such communications.45 They raised concerns about a variety of issues: from the neglect of ways of life and heritage resources to the imposition of a single narrative about the past, about shared identity and about the way to act in society; from violations of the right to take part in cultural life to the targeted harassment, arrest and killing of those who challenge cultural norms; from violations of the right to access and enjoy the creativity of others and to benefit from scientific progress and its applications to the censorship of artistic, academic and scientific freedoms; and from a lack of respect for cultural diversity to the use of cultural arguments to violate human rights. These communications addressed alleged violations in all regions of the world; about two thirds of them sought clarification from Governments and the remaining third reminded other stakeholders, including private companies, of their due diligence obligation towards human rights. Ten communications raised issues about laws or policies that were discussed publicly, providing a cultural rights analysis of the potential effects of the law in question. 52. An important part of the mandate consists in conducting country visits to learn from best practices and assess challenges to the implementation of cultural rights and to report on them, providing recommendations and advice for all relevant stakeholders. Fourteen such visits have already been conducted. The reports and conclusions are available on the web page for the mandate.46 The Special Rapporteur looks forward to being invited by States for visits. 53. To summarize, in her work, the Special Rapporteur will: (a) Seek dialogue and cooperation regarding the issues of the mandate; (b) Focus on follow-up mechanisms that are important to ensuring that all issues are addressed; (c) Work on capacity-building within States so that they have the means to fully implement their obligations regarding cultural rights; (d) Help to build resilience in local societies regarding violations and involve local stakeholders in identifying the best ways to prevent violations from taking place; (e) 45 46 Focus on vulnerable and marginalized sections of the population. The full list of communications sent and the responses received can be found at https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TmSearch/Mandates?m=19. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/CountryVisits.aspx. 13

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