2 First, on “Minorities and cohesive societies”: This wording reflects the emphasis I intend to put on the Special Rapporteur mandate for the coming years: Showing and highlighting how guaranteeing and promoting minority specific position in national societies contributes to enhance the richness and cohesion of national societies. To comfort this perspective, it is worth underlying that two paragraphs from the Preamble of the 1992 Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Linguistic and Religious minorities refer to it. Thus the Declaration reads: “Considering that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live;” and a second paragraph emphasize that “the constant promotion and realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as an integral part of the development of society as a whole and within a democratic framework based on the rule of law, would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and States” This inward and outward looking societal dimension of minorities’ contribution is less present in the Articles of the Declaration itself, which concentrate more on the enjoyment of their right by persons belonging to minority groups. It is nevertheless constitutive of the rationale of the 1992 Declaration. Additional to these two paragraphs from the Preamble of the 1992 Declaration, I wish to personally add a third paragraph of my own, which would read as such: ‘Taking into account the contribution of persons belonging to minorities to cohesive societies, robust social fabric and resilient social systems, will in turn benefit the individual situation of persons belonging to minorities.’ In other words, recognition by society as a whole of the positive contribution from persons belonging to minorities shall induce a positive feedback loop between persons belonging to any minority and the persons belonging to the majoritarian/dominant population of any State. This is my principal vision of the mandate as a Special Rapporteur on Minority issues, and this will be the focus of my efforts and thrust for the upcoming six years, hopefully leading to an enhancement of both the diversity and richness of national societies as a whole, and the individual situation of persons belonging to any minority.