Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging
to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities
A/RES/72/184
Expressing concern at the frequency and severity of disputes and conflicts
involving persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
in many countries and their often tragic consequences, and that such persons often
suffer disproportionately from the effects of conflicts resulting in the violation of their
human rights and are particularly vulnerable to displacement through, inter alia,
population transfers, revocation of previously held identity documents, refugee flows
and forced relocation,
Emphasizing the need for reinforced efforts to realize the rights of persons
belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, including by
addressing economic and social conditions and marginalization, as well as to end any
type of discrimination against them, including by addressing multiple, aggravated and
intersecting forms of discrimination,
Emphasizing also the fundamental importance of human rights education,
training and learning as well as of dialogue, including intercultural and interfaith
dialogue, and interaction among all relevant stakeholders and members of society on
the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities,
Recognizing the importance of realizing the right to education for all and,
wherever possible, providing persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities with adequate opportunities to learn their own language or to
have instruction in their own language,
Affirming that the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration
offers an important opportunity to intensify efforts to promote and protect the rights
of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minor ities,
including by taking stock of, and sharing among States and other stakeholders
information on, the achievements, best practices and challenges with regard to the
implementation of the Declaration, the diverse ways in which it has been used and
implemented in practice at the local, national, regional and international levels and
the impact that it has had on national legislation, policies and practices and
institutional mechanisms and their activities and programmes to advance the rights of
persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as
the effect that it has had on the ground,
Emphasizing the important role that national institutions can play in the
promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging t o national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities, and acknowledging the role that the United
Nations, its specialized agencies and other relevant organizations, and the Special
Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on minority issues, play in thi s regard by,
inter alia, promoting the implementation of the Declaration,
1.
Reaffirms the obligation of States to ensure that persons belonging to
national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities may exercise fully and
effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination
and in full equality before the law, as proclaimed in the Declaration on the Rights of
Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, 4 and
draws attention to the relevant provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme
of Action, 5 including the provisions on forms of multiple discrimination;
2.
Urges States and the international community to promote and protect the
rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
as set out in the Declaration, including through the encouragement of conditions for
__________________
4
5
2/6
Resolution 47/135, annex.
See A/CONF.189/12 and A/CONF.189/12/Corr.1, chap. I.
17-23176