SOLVING STATELESSNESS a call for recognition of the right to nationality of the Rohingya.26 The most striking feature of the country resolutions is therefore the dearth of attention to statelessness and the right to a nationality, particularly considering that country-specific resolutions have in recent years dealt with Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, Somalia and Syria. There may be multiple reasons for these omissions, including lack of knowledge of the problems in these States, the specific focus in the resolutions on other topics27 or strategic decisions not to address these topics through country-specific resolutions, which are generally seen as confrontational by the State concerned. The country-specific resolutions therefore offer clear scope for improvement if enough States become aware of the issues and motivated to address them. There has also been very limited attention to stateless minorities in the thematic resolution on minorities or through the Human Right Council’s annual Forum on Minorities. This looks set to shift somewhat, as the organisers of the Forum have agreed that the November 2016 Forum will include discussion of stateless minorities, and it can be hoped that the 2017 resolution on minorities will likewise address statelessness. Finally, as interest in a topic cannot be measured solely by the number of Human Rights Council resolutions adopted, it should be noted that the number of informal side events organised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and States during Human Rights Council sessions related to statelessness has increased in recent years. At the September 2015 session, for example, there were an unprecedented five side events on statelessness and nationality-related issues. 2.1.1 Special Procedures Special Procedures are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to focus on either thematic priorities or specific country situations. The work of the Special Procedures falls into three general categories: country visits; communications; and thematic reports. 26 27 HRC, Resolution 19/21, supra n10, para. 9; HRC, Resolution 22/14: Situation of human rights in Myanmar, adopted without a vote 21 March 2013, A/HRC/ RES/22/14, para. 8; HRC, Resolution 25/26: Situation of human rights in Myanmar, adopted without a vote 28 March 2014, A/HRC/RES/25/26, para. 10; HRC, Resolution 28/23: Situation of human rights in Myanmar, adopted without a vote 27 March 2015, A/HRC/RES/28/23, para. 11. This explanation may, in particular, apply to the resolutions on Syria which focus explicitly on the conflict. 21