Americas Regional Forum to spotlight need for stronger minority protection and mark 30th anniversary of UN Declaration on Minorities

GENEVA (10 October 2022) – The Americas Regional Forum on minority issues will take place from 11-12 October 2022, with a focus on building stronger recognition and protection for the rights of minorities.

The forum will mark the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes will convene the Regional Forum in coordination with the Tom Lantos Institute. The forum will be held online and will be open to the media.

“Review-Rethink-Reform is the theme of this year’s Regional Forum. The time has come to reflect on the challenges facing minorities in the Americas, the extent their situation has evolved in the last 30 years, and what is needed to build stronger rights recognition and protection in the region,” de Varennes said.

Hosted by the Argentine Republic, the Regional Forum will bring together UN and regional organisations, academics, civil society groups specialising in minority issues, and representatives of minorities. Speakers will include experts and representatives of numerous ethnic, religious and linguistic minority organisations from North, Central and South America, as well as Victoria Donda, Director of the Argentinian National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism, Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons of African Descent and against Racial Discrimination, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Magdalena Talamas, Director, Department for the Promotion of Peace at the Organization of American States and Karin Santi, Regional Team Leader HIV, Health and Development, UNDP's Regional Bureau on Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Regional Forum for the Americas is the last of four regional fora convened by the UN Special Rapporteur in 2022. Discussions will inform the work and recommendations of the 15th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues which will take place in Geneva in December 2022.

A livestream of the event will be available here. Simultaneous interpretation will be available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Argentinian Sign Language. More information about the speakers at the Americas Regional Forum on Minority Issues will be available on the webpage.

ENDS

BACKGROUND:

Pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution 6/15 of 28 September 2007 renewed by resolution 19/23 of 23 March 2012, a forum on minority issues has been established to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. The Forum shall identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

The Forum meets annually for two working days allocated to thematic discussions. The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Dr Fernand de Varennes, is tasked to guide the work of the Forum, prepare its annual meetings and report on the thematic recommendations of the Forum to the Human Rights Council.