A/68/268
Report of the Independent Expert on minority issues
Summary
The present report is submitted to the General Assembly by the Independent
Expert on minority issues in accordance with Assembly resolution 66/166. It
provides a brief overview of mandate activities since the submission of the previous
report to the Assembly. The Independent Expert then focuses on minority rightsbased approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious
minorities.
The Independent Expert considers that globally the rights of religious
minorities are poorly implemented in practice, and that in all regions they face
discrimination, social exclusion, marginalization and in many instances harassment,
persecution and violence. The rights of religious minorities go beyond freedom of
religion and belief and non-discrimination. The wider collective rights of religious
minorities are frequently neglected by Governments. The Independent Expert
considers that far greater attention must be given to the rights of religious minorities
in the framework of minority rights, which require positive actions on the part of
States to protect and promote their rights. A minority rights-based approach, based
on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or
Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, goes beyond non-discrimination and
requires legislation, policies and concrete measures to create substantive equality in
all areas of cultural, economic, political, public, religious and social life.
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