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Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- In its work in the field the United Nations has developed some excellent practice with regard to minority issues. However, there is no mechanism for or consistent practice of ensuring that minority issues are mainstreamed across the in-country work of entities in the United Nations system, in accordance with article 9 of the Declaration, even in countries where those issues are at the core of local conflicts. At the Headquarters level, in the Department of Political Affairs and in the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, know-how on minority rights could be enhanced to facilitate the development of policies and practices sensitive to minorities. Appropriate training programmes and resources are required for staff throughout the United Nations system, to assist in the early identification by decision makers at the highest level of tensions involving minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The effective and meaningful participation of minorities in the political arena can be a pivotal element in avoiding violent conflict. While members of minorities have the right to participate in decision-making processes, particularly those that affect them, as established in article 2 (3) of the Declaration, the reality is often quite different. Minorities are greatly underrepresented in the political processes and governing institutions of most countries for a variety of reasons. They may be intentionally restricted from participation or inadvertently disadvantaged by laws or policies, or there may be a lack of political will to dismantle structural barriers to the full and equal participation of minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- States have significant leeway to decide, in consultation with minority communities, the modalities by which political participation can be achieved. Those measures may include the devolution of certain powers by means of a federal or autonomy arrangement; an informal council of minority representatives or a statutory body, which is consulted by the executive on matters of concern to the minority; electoral systems based on proportional representation; a system of reserved seats for minorities in parliament; or the facilitated participation in the electoral process of political parties representing the interests of minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Modalities for inclusion should always ensure ample representation of minorities at all levels of the civil service, including the police and the judiciary (see A/HRC/13/23). Additionally, it is important to note that the Declaration does not endorse modalities that would violate the sovereignty or the territorial integrity of States. Most importantly, the modality for political inclusion must afford minorities genuine influence. Tokenism or State interference in the process of identifying political representatives, for example, may lead to deeper frustrations. Further, full respect for freedoms of expression and assembly is critical.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- In November 2009, the second session of the Forum on Minority Issues focused on the issue of minorities and effective political participation. Representatives of minority communities, staff of the relevant funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations and experts on minority rights participated actively in the session. The Forum produced a set of practical recommendations and affirmed that ensuring meaningful and informed participation and the management by minorities of matters directly affecting them was a means to promote stability and integration in the societies where minorities live (A/HRC/13/25, para. 5). The Forum also recommended that States should consider what special arrangements were needed to ensure that minorities could participate in political processes during situations of transition or conflict (ibid., para. 24).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The Declaration, in articles 4 (2) and 4 (3), establishes positive obligations requiring that States take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs, except where specific practices are in violation of national law and contrary to international standards. It also requires that States take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or have instruction in their mother tongue. In terms of good practice, the Constitution of South Africa provides a good example of how recognition of the diversity of identities in the country, and in particular language rights, has contributed to cohesion and a relatively peaceful transition to democracy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Economic exclusion is a cause, a manifestation and a consequence of discrimination against persons belonging to minorities. Many minorities have historically been excluded from full and effective participation in economic life, both in the developed and in the developing world. Minorities are often discriminated against when they seek employment, for example, on the basis of their colour, their religion, their language, their names, or even their addresses. Minorities are often poorly represented even in public sector employment and despite legislation that bans discrimination in both public and private sectors. They may face barriers in accessing credit or loans to begin small businesses and may live in the poorest regions or remote areas that offer limited prospects for their economic development. Equally, large-scale economic development projects or commercial activities carried out on the lands and territories where minorities live without their prior consultation has had negative impacts, including displacement, the perpetuation of poverty and, in some cases, violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- As an essential tool of the early warning aspects of the mandate, the Special Adviser's office is privy to an enormous flow of information generated by sources inside and external to the United Nations system. The Special Adviser's gauge for sifting through that information flow is calibrated for precursors to genocide: an extremely important focus but one that is limited, fortunately, to a small number of situations. Clearly, therefore, there is a need for additional tools that focus on chronic abuses of minority rights at the earliest stages, to identify situations needing more upstream preventive action.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- By its resolution 60/1 of 16 September 2005, the General Assembly adopted the 2005 World Summit Outcome, in which the States Members of the United Nations conceptualized a principle that is of prime importance to the protection of minorities: the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, more commonly known as "the responsibility to protect". This concept recognizes the duty of the international community to intervene to protect populations when their own Governments cannot or lack the will to do so. It prioritizes above all the use of appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, before legitimate force is contemplated through Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- A number of offices and agencies within the United Nations system have information assessment, early warning and conflict prevention functions. The Department of Political Affairs is the lead agency for conflict prevention and peacemaking. Within the Department, the standby team of mediation experts, an innovative unit established in March 2008, plays an important role. The team is on call to provide expertise on specific issues to United Nations initiatives to mediate in situations of conflict or potential conflict. This team has provided support and advice to peacemaking and dialogue efforts in several situations involving minorities, including Darfur, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines. The Department has a focal point on indigenous peoples, but not one on minorities. The standby team currently includes an expert on power-sharing, but does not include a professional with more comprehensive expertise on minority rights. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also has an Early Warning and Contingency Planning Section.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- In Guyana, a project carried out jointly by the Department of Political Affairs and UNDP seeks to build national capacities for the promotion of reconciliation between ethnic groups, including through the creation of committees to enable community representatives to work out their issues themselves. In Indonesia, the Bureau spent two years working with Christian and Muslim communities, providing space for reconciliation and consensus-building. Issues such as access to civil service jobs and perceptions of respect for ethnic and religious identity were addressed. Significant improvements were achieved in the level of understanding between the communities and in the level of security.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has established a specific mechanism to address conflicts involving minorities, the High Commissioner on National Minorities. The mandate is informed by the minority rights provisions contained in the Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (29 June 1990). The High Commissioner acts as an early warning and early action mechanism, primarily through the use of preventive diplomacy. The High Commissioner can visit countries where tensions have arisen between a minority and the State and engage with representatives of both sides. The High Commissioner uses a problem-solving approach to break down the externally voiced positions into an analysis of needs, interests and aspirations, and propose constructive solutions based on a broad knowledge of approaches worldwide.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Access to membership in viable political parties is important for the effective mobilization of minorities in the political process, both in elections and in the conduct of the business of the legislature and administrative bodies. In some countries ethnicity-based or faith-based political parties are prohibited by law or greatly discouraged. In other countries, minorities or religious groups may either have their own political parties, or their interests may be represented by mainstream parties. The nature of the electoral system may impact on the nature of political parties and the way in which minority interests are, or are not, addressed. Both types of parties have advantages and disadvantages for minorities: minority-focused parties may address minority issues but they will risk having fewer resources and less political influence and may, if narrowly focused, increase the public perception of minorities and minority issues as marginal. Of course, political party platforms that are racist in content violate international law whether adopted by minority or majority parties.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Minority participation in Government (the executive or administrative branch) is another crucial form of minority participation, that is, as members of the Cabinet and other such bodies. Measures which may increase minority participation in Government include the allocation to minorities of membership in key committees, advisory bodies or other high-level organs; the creation of high-level bodies to address issues of relevance to minorities, preferably run by members of minorities; and the institutionalization of active consideration of minority issues across relevant ministries through, for example, personnel or a division appointed to address minority concerns within each relevant ministry, the issuance of standing directives, and the creation of inter-ministerial working groups to facilitate coordination. A careful balance between mainstreaming and targeting should be achieved in this regard to make minority participation most effective and to avoid having minority issues marginalized in a single, possibly disempowered, department.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- The participation of minorities in administration, the judiciary, public bodies and public companies is another important aspect of the realization of the minority right to effective participation. Minority participation in decision-making is facilitated if members of minorities work as civil servants in a broad range of bodies, and are not confined exclusively to bodies dealing with minority issues. In some cases, there may be legal or constitutional requirements for proportional representation in the public administration bodies. Certain types of quotas have been deemed illegal in some States; however, the benefits of such special measures are evident.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- One system of power-sharing which is frequently regarded as enabling minority participation in Government is consociationalism, whereby all larger minorities are entitled to participate in Government and to a proportion of positions in the public service. Under consociationalism, ethnic groups are recognized as political entities and, as such, are entitled to a large degree of self-government in matters deemed to be internal to them, and to a share in power when matters of common interest are being resolved at the national level. It is also possible to base power-sharing not explicitly on ethnicity but on political parties; such arrangements tend to encourage the political integration of ethnic groups. A major criticism of consociationalism is that it risks excluding and disempowering smaller minorities who are not included in such arrangements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- In its resolution 6/15 of 28 September 2007, the Human Rights Council established a Forum on Minority Issues ("the Forum"), inter alia to provide a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the independent expert on minority issues. The independent expert is required to guide the work of the Forum and prepare its annual meetings. The inaugural session took place on 15 and 16 December 2008 in Geneva with a thematic focus on "Minorities and the Right to Education".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In September 2009, the independent expert participated in a conference held in Cali, Colombia, as a regional follow-up activity to the first session of the Forum, which had focused on minorities and the right to education. The conference was organized by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Justice and Human Rights, in collaboration with the Cornell Law School's International Human Rights Clinic and the International Human Rights Law Clinic of the University of Virginia. In an effort to continue dialogue, remain accountable to local communities and promote grass-roots advocacy, the conference publicly launched the report entitled "Right to Education of Afro-descendant and Indigenous Communities in the Americas" that it had previously presented at the Forum. The report addresses failures to fulfil obligations with respect to the right to education without discrimination within the Americas, focusing on Colombia, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- It is for these reasons that the independent expert on minority issues chose effective political participation as the theme of the second session of the Forum on Minority Issues, held in Geneva on 12 and 13 November 2009. It should be underscored from the outset that the right of minorities to effective political participation does not encompass separatist movements. Rather, the intent is to ensure the inclusion of all persons belonging to minorities in a just and fair society. This background document summarizes the relevant basic international legal principles, the preconditions for ensuring effective political participation, and some of the models and conceptual tools that States are using in order to meet their international obligations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The right to effective participation is further upheld in provisions within existing regional human rights treaties. These include the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the American Convention on Human Rights and the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women. The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights) protects the right to free elections through its Protocol No. 1 (art. 3) and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities creates an obligation for States to ensure the effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities (art. 15). Comparable provisions on the prohibition of discrimination are also contained in the regional human rights treaties.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination which inhibits the political participation of minorities may manifest itself in, among others: a type of electoral system which negatively affects minority representation; political parties which are adverse to minority issues and minority membership; widespread prejudice among the electorate which punishes parties willing to include minority candidates or voice minority issues; media which are hostile to minority concerns and participation. Given the centrality of the issue of discrimination to the right to effective participation, Governments should consider instituting independent monitoring and individual complaints mechanisms, such as the ombudsperson's function adopted in a number of countries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The history of the development of minority rights at the United Nations has been closely linked to the need to address tensions between minorities and the State, and between population groups. The 1992 Declaration on Minorities states in its preamble that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to such minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live. The drafting of the Declaration began in 1978, and received added impetus with the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The importance attached to the Declaration was summed up by the representative of Austria, who, speaking before the Third Committee, observed that it should not be filed and forgotten, but implemented and filled with life, so as to contribute to overcoming situations of tension relating to minorities (see A/C.3/47/SR.47, para. 89).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- In his landmark report to the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations in 2000, the Secretary-General stated that in many countries at war, the condition of poverty was coupled with sharp ethnic or religious cleavages, and that almost invariably, the rights of subordinate groups were insufficiently respected, the institutions of Government were insufficiently inclusive and the allocation of society's resources favoured the dominant faction over others. He added that the solution was clear: to promote human rights, to protect minority rights and to institute political arrangements in which all groups were represented, and that every group needed to become convinced that the State belonged to all people (A/54/2000, paras. 202-203).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- In 1994, States members of the Organization of African Unity reaffirmed their deep conviction that friendly relations among their peoples as well as peace, justice, stability and democracy, called for the protection of ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of all their people including national minorities and the creation of conditions conducive to the promotion of that identity. In the Americas, the Inter-American Democratic Charter stresses that the elimination of discrimination and respect for cultural diversity contribute to strengthening democracy and citizen participation, which in turn are necessary for ensuring peace, stability and development. In the Copenhagen Document of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the participating States reaffirmed that respect for the rights of persons belonging to national minorities as part of universally recognized human rights was an essential factor for peace, justice, stability and democracy in the participating States.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- States have significant leeway to decide, in consultation with minority communities, the modalities by which political participation can be achieved. Those measures may include the devolution of certain powers by means of a federal or autonomy arrangement; electoral systems based on proportional representation; a system of reserved seats for minorities in parliament; or the facilitated participation in the electoral process of political parties representing the interests of minorities. Most importantly, the modality for political inclusion must afford minorities genuine influence. Tokenism or State interference in the process of identifying political representatives, for example, may lead to deeper frustrations. Further, full respect for freedoms of expression and assembly is critical.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The most appropriate system will depend on the specificities of the situation, including how populous the communities are, whether they are geographically dispersed or concentrated, the aspirations of the minority groups and how well integrated they are into the broader society. The flexibility of the minority rights framework makes it well suited to the compromises necessary in processes of negotiating solutions, diffusing tensions and avoiding violent conflicts. In November 2009, the second session of the Forum on Minority Issues focused on the issue of minorities and effective political participation and produced a set of practical recommendations for States and other actors (A/HRC/13/25, para. 5).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Economic exclusion is a cause, a manifestation and a consequence of discrimination against minorities, both in the developed and in the developing world. Minorities are often discriminated against when they seek employment and are often poorly represented even in public sector employment and despite legislation that bans discrimination in both public and private sectors. They may face barriers in accessing credit or loans to begin small businesses and may live in the poorest regions or remote areas that offer limited prospects for their economic development. Equally, large-scale economic development projects or commercial activities carried out on the lands and territories where minorities live, without their prior consultation, have had negative impacts, including displacement, the perpetuation of poverty and, in some cases, violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In countries where political power is seen to be concentrated in the hands of one or a few identity groups, it is common for those groups to be disproportionately represented in the public service, which can be a powerful source of tension. The adequate representation of minorities at all levels and in all branches of the criminal justice system, for example, can have particularly important implications for relations between disadvantaged communities and the Government. Negative encounters with police or security forces at the local level shape minority perceptions of their treatment and acceptance by the State.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- The tragic events in Rwanda and in the former Yugoslavia gave new impetus to efforts by the United Nations to protect minorities - described by the Secretary-General as "genocide's most frequent targets". In 2004, the Secretary-General established the mandate of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. The principal objective of the Special Adviser is to advise the Secretary-General and the Security Council on actions to protect vulnerable populations from genocide. The Office of the Special Adviser attempts to identify a range of potential threats to minority populations at an early stage and make recommendations regarding constructive management of cultural diversity issues.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- An analysis framework is used by the Special Adviser's office to identify threats to minority communities at an early stage. In addition to genocide-specific indicators, such as the demonization of minority communities and a history of genocide in the country, it includes indicators of broader significance to minorities, such as conflicts over land, power, security and expressions of group identity, such as language, religion and culture, and attacks on cultural and religious property and symbols. The Special Adviser's office is privy to an enormous flow of information generated by sources inside and external to the United Nations system. The Special Adviser's gauge for sifting through that information flow is calibrated for precursors to genocide: a focus that is limited, fortunately, to a small number of situations. There is a need for additional tools that focus on chronic abuses of minority rights at the earliest stages, to identify situations needing more upstream preventive action.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph