Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 31

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Paragraph text: The 1992 Declaration on Minorities further elaborates the rights of minorities, including in relation to language. Importantly it imposes positive obligations on States and the requirement for positive measures that go beyond standard non-discrimination provisions contained in other international standards. Article 1, paragraph 1, requires States to protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity. Article 1, paragraph 2, requires the adoption of appropriate legislative and other measures to achieve those ends. Article 2, paragraph 1, states that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination. Article 4, paragraph 2, requires States to take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs. Article 4, paragraph 3, requires States to take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to have instruction in their mother tongue.

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Person(s) affected