A/HRC/RES/16/6
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
8 April 2011
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*
16/6
Mandate of the independent expert on minority issues
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and
Linguistic Minorities, and bearing in mind article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and other relevant existing international standards and national
legislation,
Recalling also all previous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the
Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council on the rights of persons
belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, including Assembly
resolution 63/174 of 18 December 2008, Commission resolution 2005/79 of 21 April 2005,
and Council resolutions 6/15 of 28 September 2007, 7/6 of 27 March 2008, and 13/12 of 25
March 2010,
Noting that 2012 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the
Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and
Linguistic Minorities,
Emphasizing the need for reinforced efforts to meet the goal of the full realization of
the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
Stressing that the economic exclusion of persons belonging to national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities is a cause, a manifestation and a consequence of
discrimination, both in the developed and in the developing world, and that their rights to
participate effectively in economic life must be taken into account by Governments seeking
to promote equality at all levels,
* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its sixteenth session (A/HRC/16/2), chap. I.
GE.11-12513