The fifth session of the Forum took place on 27 and 28 November 2012 in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Soyata Maiga was appointed as Chair of the fifth session of the Forum that focussed on "Implementing the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities: Identifying positive practices and opportunities".

Over 400 participants took part in this fifth session of the Forum, including United Nations Member States and specialized agencies, intergovernmental and regional organizations, human rights treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, academics and experts as well as civil society actors working on minority issues.

In addition to this wide range of stakeholders, this session brought together persons belonging to minorities who are actively engaged in minority rights advocacy and diverse areas of work related to the protection and promotion of minority rights as well as those working for or experienced in using national institutions with responsibility for minority issues.

Outcome documents

• Summary by the Chairperson of the Forum
• Recommendations on implementing the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities: identifying positive practices and opportunities (A/HRC/22/60)

Further information

• Provisional agenda (A/HRC/FMI/2012/1)
• Programme of work
• Concept Note (A/HRC/FMI/2012/2)
• List of accredited participants 

Side events

• Side event organized by MRG and the Permanent Mission of Austria on Tuesday 27 November 2012
• Consultation organized by OHCHR on the role of the UN in advancing protection of minorities and combatting racial discrimination on Monday 26 November 2012
• Addressing Inequalities faced by National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Oral statements

I. Opening meeting

• Video-message (and pdf version), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
• Statement by President of the Human Rights Council, H.E. Ambassador Laura Dupuy Lasserre
• Statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay
• Remarks by the Independent Expert on Minority Issues , Ms. Rita Izsák
• Remarks by the Chair of the Forum on Minority Issues, Ms. Soyata Maiga

II. The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities: 20 years on

Assigned Speakers

• Mr Patrick THORNBERRY, Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), presented on “Some Controversies in the Drafting of the Declaration: A Personal Recollection”
• Mr Asbjorn Eide, former Chairman of the United Nations Working Group on Minorities, presented on “The Declaration and its Commentary”
• Ms. Gay McDougall, former Independent Expert on minority issues, presented on “The First Mandate: Experiences and Lessons Learned”

Participants

1. Russian Federation

2. Balochistan People’s Party

3. Italy

4. European Centre for Minority Issues

5. Austria

6. Federation of ABTTF

7. Switzerland

8. Council of Europe

9. Norway

10. Romania

III. Perspectives from young minority rights advocates on the Declaration

Assigned Speakers

• Mr. Issa Hamad Salim Al-Hewetat, OHCHR Minority Fellows, presented on “Minorities and the right to education”
• Ms. Mabruka Abdulmajid Sebit and Ms. Rasha Qass Yousef, OHCHR Minority Fellows, presented on “Minorities and Effective Political Participation”
• Mr. Iurie Caldarari and Ms. Kandya Gisella Obezo Casseres, OHCHR Minority Fellows, presented on “Religious Minorities”
• Mr. Irad Beldjebel  and Mr. Jugal Kishore Ranajit, OHCHR Minority Fellows, presented on “Religious Minorities”

IV. Practical use of the Declaration: identification of good practices and positive measures

Assigned Speakers - Part A

• Mr Antti Korkeakivi, Chief of the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section-OHCHR, presented an “Overview of activities conducted to mark the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on Minority Rights by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and way forward”
• Ms. Lotta Sylwander, Representative of UNICEF in Viet Nam, presented on “UNICEF’s Ethnic Minority Strategy and Mother Tongue Bilingual Education programme”
• Mr Alexey Kozhemyakov, Head of National Minorities and Antidiscrimination Department of the Council of Europe, presented on “The work of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities”
• Mr Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, presented on “The rights of religious minorities”

Participants - Part A

1. Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan

2. Permanent Mission of Viet Nam

3. Observatory of Linguistic Rights

4. Permanent Mission of Austria

5. Permanent Mission

6. Afriforum

7. Permanent Mission of Greece

8. NGO

9. Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association

10. Permanent Mission of Switzerland

11. Ahwaz Studies Center (Ahwazi Human Rights Organization, Ahro)

12. The Global People of Champa Descent Organisation

13. University Johanneum Graz

14. Citizens advice bureau Coscentia

15. Office for Human and Minority Rights – Republic of Serbia

16. YASA Kurdish Center for Legal Studies

17. Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic

18. Local Democracy Agency Brtonigla

19. Permanent Mission of Finland

Assigned Speakers – Part B

• Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, Director of the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, presented on “The work of the HCNM to implement the Declaration in practice”
• Ms. Lydia Saleshando, presented on “National Reforms on Minority Issues in Botswana: Implementing the Declaration”
• Ms. Anna Rothery Fox, presented on “Liverpool-A case study on minorities and effective political participation” (see also Power Point Presentation)
• Ms. Belma Podrug, presented on “Minority Issues on the Rise: A Canadian Prairie Perspective”
• Mr Carl Soderbergh, Director of Policy and Communications with Minority Rights Group International, presented on their “Compilation of Good Practices in relation to the implementation of the Declaration”

Participants - Part B

20. Lithuania without racism

21. Permanent Mission of Norway

22. Insituto Nacional de lenguas Indigenas, Mexico (National Institute of Indigenous languages)

23. National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria

24. Ahwaz Education and Human Rights Organization

25. Permanent Mission of Hungary

26. Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Pakistan

27. Permanent Mission of United States

28. Ogaden Welfare Association

29. Permanent mission of Canada

30. Heal Africa Trust

31. Permanent Mission of Romania

32. Association of Human Rights (of Kurdish of Iran)

33. Permanent Mission of Colombia

V. Challenges and problems encountered in the practical implementation of the Declaration

Assigned Speakers – Part A

• Ms. Leydi Pérez Venté, presented on the “Reality of ethnic rights in Afro black people facing the Declaration on the rights of minorities, 20 years later”
• Mr Melakou Tegegn, presented on “Minorities and the African context”
• Ms. Carla Amina Baghajati, presented on “Raising awareness for minority rights – How to pave a way from a regulatory framework to broad public support (with special attention to the situation of Muslims in Austria/Europe)”
• Mr Jafar Al-Shayeb, presented on “Challenges facing Implementation of the Declaration: Regional Perspectives”

Participants – Part A

1. World Barua Organization

2. Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy

3. European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy

4. ARA JPD

5. United Copts of Great Britain

6. International Office of Champa

7. Al Kalema Center for Human Rights

8. Eurolang – European Language Equality Network

9. Association pour la Promotion de la Francophonie en Flandre asbe

10. World Uyghur Congress

11. St. Elizabeth University, Bratislava Refugee Project

12. Global Rights

13. Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association

14. Permanent Mission of Colombia

15. Permanent Mission of China

16. Association “Lithuania without racism”

17. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)

Assigned Speakers – Part B

• Mr Martin Chungong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union presented on “Challenges faced by the IPU in its efforts aimed at implementing the Declaration”
• Ms. Zola Kondur, presented on “The challenges faced by the Roma communities in effective participation in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life”
• Mr Jakob Finci, presented on “Implementation of ECfHR Grand Chamber Judgment dated 22 December 2009 in Case Sejdic & Finci v Bosnia and Herzegovina”
• Ms. Punam Sijapati, presented on “The challenges faced by Dalit women in Nepal”

Participants – Part B

18. Search for Common Ground, Nigeria

19. Humanitarian Organization “Icumbi”

20. Women’s Association of Drosero “The Hope”

21. Permanent Mission of Switzerland

22. Balochistan Peoples Party

23. PROMO-LEX Association, Republic of Moldova

24. Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (Montenegro)

25. Permanent Mission of Poland

26. Assyrian Universal Alliance

27. Council of Europe

28. Universala Esperanto – Asociacion

29. Danish Institute for Human Rights

30. Permanent Mission of Egypt

31. African Rights Monitor

32. Permanent Mission of Armenia

33. IRA-Mauritania

34. People’s Empowerment Foundation

35. Suaram

VI. Consideration of future opportunities, initiatives and further possibilities for raising awareness of the Declaration, and ensuring its practical implementation

Assigned Speakers – Part A

• International Chief Littlechild, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples presented on “Good practices in the work of the Expert Mechanism”
• Ms. Dwi Rubiyanti, presented on “Confronting Fundamentalism, Raising Awareness on Minority Rights in Indonesia”
• Ms. Atidal Sliman, presented on “Awareness-raising to cultural, social, economic and political rights among Arab Bedouin minority women, men and children in the unrecognised villages”

Participants – Part A

1. Permanent Mission of Slovenia

2. Elen-European Language Equality Network, France

3. Permanent Mission of Nepal

4. Freedom Front, South Africa

5. The Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women

6. European Union of Coptic Organization for Human Rights

7. Institute of Commonwealth Studies

8. Ogaden Youth and Student Union

9. Conseil Suisse Associations Jeunesse (CSAJ/SAJV)

10. National Dalit Movement for Justice

11. Strengthening Participatory Organization

12. Permanent Mission of Hungary

13. Woman of Purpose

14. Minority Rights Group

15. Tamaynut Organization

16. Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People

17. National Commission of Human Rights of Korea

18. Permanent Mission of Venezuela

19. European Roma Policy Centre

20. Permanent Mission of Indonesia

Assigned Speakers – Part B

• Mr Endeko Charles Endeko, presented on “Minority political participation: the situation of the Hadzabe in Tanzania”
• Ms. Risha Syed, presented on “Moving forward: a way ahead”

Participants – Part B

21. Asociacion Miraismo Internacional

22. Permanent Mission of Thailand

23. International Kurdish Union

24. Permanent Mission of Mauritania

25. Secretariat of Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights

26. Permanent Mission of South Africa

27. Permanent Mission of Italy

28. Permanent Mission of the United States of America

29. Permanent Mission of Greece

30. Association of Human Rights of Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva

31. Permanent Mission of Finland

32. Instituto National de lenguas Indigenas, México (National Institute of Indigenous languages)

33. Centre for Human Rights Peace & Advocacy

34. Assyrian Universal Alliance

35. IRA- Mauritania

36. People’s Empowerment Foundation

37. Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

38. World Barua Organization

39. Permanent Mission of Colombia

40. Permanent Mission of Switzerland

VIII. Concluding remarks

• Remarks by the Chairperson of the Forum on Minority Issues
• Remarks by the Independent Expert on Minority Issues