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Tenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues

Date

30 November 2017 - 01 December 2017

LOCATION

Room XX of the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

THEME

Minority youth: towards diverse and inclusive societies

The 10th session of the Forum took place on 30th November and 1 December 2017. The Forum discussions focused on finding concrete measures and recommendations for minority youth in areas pertaining to inclusive education, participation to public life, representation in  media in the digital age, and the their role on sustainable peace building and stability.

During the first discussion panel, participants discussed and formulated recommendations with regard to access to education, accommodation of minority culture and language in education programmes and facilities. They also discussed on the role of informal education to sensitize youth to tolerance and to religious, cultural and linguistic diversity. 

During the second panel, participants raised the issue of political engagement of minority youth, and the importance of representation of minority youth in public institution and reflected on how to increase positive visibility of young minorities in societies.

During a discussion panel on youth and digital media, participants called for a greater efforts to ensure access to digital media for all, including marginalised minority communities, shared initiatives on how to respond to hate speech and bullying on the internet, and discussed the role of minority led media initiative to empower young minority people and to change the mainstream narrative regarding possible bias or stereotype affecting minorities.

Finally, the last panel discussion considered the role of minority youth as agents of change for peace and stability and presented recommendations regarding the need for greater consultation and participation of minority youth in conflict prevention and peace building efforts.

Outcome documents

  • Recommendations of the 10th session of the Forum on Minority Issues (A/HRC/37/73)

Further information

Pre-Forum Day:

A preparatory day took place on 29 November for all participants to the Forum.

10:00 - 13:00 - Welcoming briefing for all participants to the Forum. The Chairperson of the 10th session of the Forum introduced the rules of procedures for the event after which civil society had the opportunity to present themselves to the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. Click here for the agenda of this session.

15:00-18:00 - Thematic Discussion on Racial Discrimination Civil society participants were invited to attend a thematic discussion organised by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The discussion was titled "Racial Discrimination in Today's World: Racial profiling, ethnic cleansing and current global issues and challenges". More information are available at this page.

Chairperson

On 24 October, the President of the Human Rights Council appointed Mr. Tarik Kurdi, from the Republic of the Sudan, to the position of Chairperson of the 10th session of the Forum on Minority Issues. Mr. Kurdi is a retired UNHCR international civil servant, who most recently was the UNHCR country representative in Damascus, Syria (2012-15) and was the Deputy Director of the Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa at headquarters until 2016. Mr. Kurdi brings considerable skills in diplomacy, external relations and a range of skills in leadership and in conceptual and analytical thinking. He has excellent skills in strategy and donor relations. He started his UN career in 1981, and held various leadership positions in more than 10 UNHCR offices in Africa and the Middle East".

List of participants who took the floor

Item 2- Inclusive Education

  1. Government of Georgia – Youth Delegate
  2. PM Sudan
  3. European Language Equality Network (ELEN)
  4. PM Iraq
  5. Ukrainian Institute for the Analysis and Management of Policies
  6. Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation
  7. Latvian Human Rights Committee
  8. Jendo Jack,  Swedish Institute of Alexandria
  9. PM Azerbaijan
  10. European Union of Coptic Organisations for Human Rights
  11. PM Egypt – point of order
  12. Romanipe – Canada
  13. PM Hungary
  14. Malay Muslim Student from Thailand - London School of Economics
  15. PM Russian Federation
  16. World Uyghur Congress
  17. Non-Resident Madheshis Association Inc.
  18. AfriForum
  19. PM South Africa
  20. Geledes -  Instituto da Mulher Negra
  21. Latvian European Centre for Democracy and Development
  22. UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
  23. Association Culturelle Kurde de Genève
  24. PM Ukraine
  25. China Ethnic Minorities’ Association for External Exchanges (CEMAEE)
  26. Youth for European Nationalities
  27. PM Finland
  28. PM USA
  29. Unis Dans la Diversité (Bretagne)
  30. Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan – Mariya Salim – OHCHR Fellow from India
  31. Dalit Youth Alliance  - Chet Narayan Rasaili - OHCHR Fellow from Nepal
  32. Maspero
  33. PM Russian Federation
  34. Legal Information Centre for Human rights – Estonia
  35. Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Centre
  36. PM China – point of order
  37. PM Croatia
  38. Thinkout
  39. PM Brazil
  40. Latvian Human Rights Committee
  41. Association for the Protection of women’s and children’s rights in Iran)
  42. UN Association of Georgia
  43. European Centre for Sri Lanka Committee
  44. PM Egypt
  45. Global Rohingya Centre 
  46. Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva (KMMK-G)
  47. Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO)  – Nepal
  48. World Council of Churches, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
  49. Centre for Russian Culture in Latvia – Minority Fellow
  50. Minority Rights Group International
  51. Demas James Kagar  from Sudan – OHCHR Fellow
  52. PM Sudan – point of order
  53. World Federation of the Deaf
  54. Crimean Tatar Youth Resource Centre
  55. Interruption by NGO
  56. European Union of Coptic Organisations for Human Rights
  57. Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre Ireland
  58. Association pour la Promotion de la Francophonie en Flandres (APFF)
  59. Muhamet  Arifi – OHCHR Fellow Kosovo
  60. Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe
  61. Universal Esperanto Association
  62. Sikh Human Rights Group (Sikh in France)
  63. Hassan Ali Faiz from Afghanistan – OHCHR Fellow
  64. China Union of anthropological and ethnological sciences
  65. Farkhat Ibragimov from Kyrgyzstan - OHCHR Fellow
  66. Child Development Foundation
  67. Trieste United NGO
  68. Bahai Community in Jordan  - OHCHR Fellow
  69. Georgi Marjanishvili from Georgia – OHCHR Fellow
  70. Association Pro Libertad de Prensa from Cuba
  71. Centre Zagros pour les droits de l’homme
  72. Kurdish Committee for Human Rights
  73. Saavedra Rafael - OHCHR Fellow
  74. Organisation of Kurmanj People in north Iran 
  75. European Union of Egyptian Communities (human rights)
  76. PM Egypt – point of order
  77. United Committee for Economic Development, Social and Cultural Rights – Trieste
  78. Institute for Planetary synthesis
  79. Cultural Association of Kurds in Geneva
  80. PM Syria -  point of order
  81. Ogaden Youth & Student Union (OYSU)
  82. PM of Ethiopia – point of order
  83. PM Austria
  84. Greece
  85. PM Latvia
  86. PM Russian Federation
  87. PM China
  88. PM Cuba
  89. Western Thrace Minority University Graduate Association
  90. PM China
  91. Valeria Mayer – OHCHR Minority Fellow
  92. PM Russia
  93. CRIOLA
  94. Jaffna Muslim Community International
  95. PM United States of America
  96. Association le Pont
  97. Yazidis Cultural Center in the Netherlands
  98. PM Sudan
  99. Collectif de Bretagne
  100. World Council of Churches – Mitchell Anderson
  101. PM Austria
  102. Pro Regio Siculorum Association
  103. Association Thendral (India)
  104. PM Azerbaidjan
  105. Indikum Ransome Ndikum  - Masrter Fellow - Geneva Academy
  106. ARC-DH   Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran
  107. Canadian Coptic  Activist Federation
  108. International Council supporting Fair Trial and Human Rights
  109. Fellow from Algeria from the Swedish Institute for Dialogue Alexandria
  110. Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation
  111. Sabian Mandean Association in Australia
  112. Student from Thailand/London School of Economics
  113. Direction aux Affaires Savoisiennes
  114. Kakaie Ahl-e Haqq Yarsan society in Germany
  115. Ibrahima Makarios from Swedish Alexandria Institute
  116. Association Made in Trieste
  117. Hazar Tahid Abadi (Journalist Republic of Iran)
  118. PM Romania
  119. Association de Guney
  120. Associazione Ezzelino III Da Onara
  121. Inter regional Charity Civil Society  association Volga Migration Centre
  122. Yasa - Kurdish Centre for Studies and Legal Consultancy  
  123. Health Tech Foundation (Bangladesh)
  124. European Union of Coptic Organisations for Human Rights
  125. DimDim Foundation for Humanitarian Relief
  126. Kabylia Organization/Algeria
  127. Ezidis Foundation
  128. Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran
  129. Coptic European Association in Austria
  130. Qashqaie Human Rights Defender Committee
  131. Point of Order by Islamic Republic of Iran
  132. Balochistan United Front- Human Rights Group - Iran
  133. PM  Islamic Republic of Iran
  134. African/American Society for Humanitarian Aid and Development from Sudan
  135. KIFA International
  136. Freedom Front Plus – South Africa  (social media)
  137. Information Group on Crimes against the Person
  138. Association for the Defence of Ahlulbayt rights
  139. Popular Assembly Project – Trieste
  140. Falakadin Kakaie Foundation 
  141. Middle East Centre for Training and Consult
  142. Trieste NGO (international)
  143. May 16th Mouvement
  144. PM Greece
  145. PM South Africa
  146. Association Solidarité International pour la Paix – ASIP
  147. Mbuh Raphael FIMOAT CIG
  148. Global Rohingya Center
  149. PM United States of America
  150. The European Union
  151. Government of the Republic  of the Sudan
  152. Napiraso – Voice for Ahwazi Women
  153. Maloca Internationale
  154. Fuaad Hazim Jameel  - belonging to the Ezidi Minority
  155. Hope for Niger Delta Campaign
  156. UNPO
  157. Rights Bahamas
  158. PM Pakistan
  159. Aya Manaa OHCHR Minority Fellow
  160. AFD Legal Profession (West Papua)
  161. Association Culturelle des Tamouls de France
  162. Democracy Defenders for Azerbaidjan
  163. Women’s Group for Human Rights - Egypt
  164. Asociatia Drepturile Noastre-Jogaink Egyesulet (Hungarian in Roumania)
  165. PM Myanmar
  166. Yasa - Kurdish Center for Studies and Legal Consultancy 
  167. Nationaal Vereninging Papua Nieuw Guinea
  168. Government of Georgia
  169. Liberation – Bangladesh 
  170. PM Italy
  171. Association le Pont – Southern Cameroon
  172. Safadi Center for International Diplomacy and Human Rights
  173. Romanype Canada
  174. European Centre for Democracy Development
  175. GPK Kabylia – Zidane Labdal
  176. PM Hungary
  177. OHCHR Minority Fellow – Saw SayLar - Myanmar
  178. Kurdish Swiss Alliance
  179. Point of Order – Arabic Republic of Syria
  180. Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front
  181. QUBA Community Service
  182. Asyrian Universal Alliance - American Chapter Inc.
  183. Mr Said Fayez Samaan from Egypt
  184. Association for the Protection of Women and Children’s Rights
  185. Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz
  186. AfriForum Youth
  187. CRIOLA
  188. Sikh Human Rights Group
  189. Jaffna Muslim Community International
  190. Jssor Youth Organisation
  191. Syrian Arab Republic
  192. PM Egypt
  193. PM Indonesia
  194. PM South Africa
  195. PM Brazil
  196. Ahwaz Study Center

    Additional statements received:

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