A/80/186 55. Seven countries from the Middle East and North Africa region were mentioned in the submissions from United Nations entities. 45 Iraq was the country most frequently mentioned, with an emphasis on religious minorities and a special focus on the Yazidis. Countries from other parts of the world, such as Western countries 46 and countries from the Pacific region, 47 were also mentioned in the inputs received. 56. With regard to negotiations concerning United Nations programmatic activities at the country level that were agreed upon in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the Special Rapporteur was informed that Governments are often reluctant to accept the inclusion of activities that make explicit references to specific minority categories or groups, in order to avoid any United Nations attention on them and their issues. This is an issue that should be tackled in a longer-term strategy, with a view to raising awareness and increasing the relevance of dealing openly and specifically with the needs of minority communities from the human rights, development and security perspectives. 57. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that individuals belonging to minorities encounter obstacles and, sometimes, discrimination in their interactions with UNHCR. For example, in some instances, individuals could not be registered under their actual name, or the specific needs of some religious practices were ignored. The Special Rapporteur understands that those issues often arise as the result of provisions in national laws and, in that connection, commends UNHCR for its efforts to support legal reforms aimed at removing discriminatory provisions in national laws. The Special Rapporteur notes that UNHCR is aware of this matter, as reflected in its policy on age, gender and diversity 48 and in several internal guidance documents that are focused specifically on minorities. 49 The Special Rapporteur urges UNHCR to fully implement the policy and guidance contained in those documents, with a view to ensuring that these issues are not left unaddressed and unresolved. 4. United Nations initiatives specifically targeting minority issues 58. In addition to the mandate of Special Rapporteur on minority issues, there are five other initiatives worth highlighting that specifically deal with minority issues. The Forum on Minority Issues, established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/15, has been convened every year since 2007 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. Civil society organization have made calls to upgrade the Forum, 50 which brings together between 500 and 790 participants every year (attendance figures have grown steadily in recent years, peaking in 2024), or to complement it with regional minority forums. 51 Despite the commitment of the Special Rapporteur and his predecessors to achieving that aim, budgetary and logistical constrains make it very unlikely that any improvements might soon be made. That is unfortunate, because discussion of minority issues by civil society, States and the United Nations system is necessary in order to raise awareness and explore paths for increasing the capacity to deal with minority issues within the United Nations and at the country level. The __________________ 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 25-11708 Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Mauritania, Türkiye and United Arab Emirates. Canada, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu. UNHCR, “UNHCR policy on age, gender and diversity”, March 2018. See, e.g., UNHCR, “Working with national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples”, Need to Know Guidance, No. 3, 2011; UNHCR, “Applying the UNHCR age, gender and diversity policy to minorities and indigenous peoples ”, tip sheet, April 2021; and UNHCR, Emergency Handbook, available at https://emergency.unhcr.org/protection/personsrisk/minorities-and-indigenous-peoples (which includes a dedicated entry on minorities and Indigenous Peoples). See A/HRC/46/58, A/HRC/49/81, A/HRC/52/71, A/HRC/55/70 and A/HRC/58/69. A/HRC/52/71, paras. 61 and 62. 15/21