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The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur notes the importance of direct, efficient funding mechanisms for Roma organizations. However, even within the European Union, where significant funds are dedicated to addressing Roma disadvantage, challenges remain. Firstly, within the European Union, not all of the available funds for Roma are being spent or efficiently invested and the level of expenditure on this issue, especially by new member States, is very small. This results in many cases in funds being directed towards short-term projects that are incapable of achieving any long-term, sustainable impact, therefore reducing their positive impact on Roma communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Although not all European States officially recognize 2 August as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Special Rapporteur is pleased that the European Parliament has recently adopted a resolution on recognition of the memorial day of the Roma genocide during the Second World War and that that many States are moving in that direction. In order to better recognize the victims of the Roma genocide and to improve understanding of the situation of the Roma in Sweden, in 2014 the Government published a white paper highlighting abuses and rights violations of Roma throughout the twentieth century and showing the negative stereotyping and discrimination they continue to face.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, in its resolution 2000/4, established that discrimination based on work and descent was a form of discrimination prohibited by international human rights law, and requested Governments concerned to put in place all necessary constitutional, legislative and administrative measures, including affirmative action, to prohibit and redress that form of discrimination, as well as to criminally sanction all persons or entities within their jurisdictions who might have engaged in practices of discrimination on the basis of work and descent.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Roma are also vulnerable to violence by State actors, which can be both explicit and implicit. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about police harassment, intimidation and abuse. Empirical studies indicate that Roma are overrepresented in the criminal justice systems across Europe, with research indicating that they are often detained arbitrarily on account of their Roma identity. The lack of a visible Roma presence in police forces and judiciaries compounds that problem.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- A prime example is the constitutional arrangement derived from the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Annexes thereto (Dayton Peace Agreement) (A/50/790). According to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, membership in the House of Peoples and the Presidency are reserved solely to those who identify as belonging to one of the "constituent peoples". That provision has been found by the European Court of Human Rights to violate international legal protections against discrimination on racial or ethnic grounds, and specifically the rights of persons belonging to ethnic groups other than the Bosniacs, Serbs or Croats. Sustainable peace is highly dependent on the participation of all population groups in peace negotiations and resulting State institutional arrangements.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The Government of Brazil has established institutional attention to Afro-Brazilians in recognition of discrimination and the disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantage of Afro-descendants, including through its ministry dedicated to promoting policies for racial equality, the Secretaria de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial (SEPPIR). A statute of racial equality (law 12.288), adopted in 2009, reinforces State obligations to guarantee equal opportunities to Afro-Brazilians. Affirmative action projects combat structural inequalities, in particular in respect of access to education, health and employment.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Addressing inequality is an overarching goal that, if it is achieved, will inevitably bring with it benefits for disadvantaged minority groups across a wide range of other areas that the post-2015 development agenda consultations are addressing. The rationale behind such an inequalities-based approach is strong, however it must be driven at a global and donor level to overcome barriers of discrimination, power-dynamics, and lack of political will that are often evident at the national level. In the Synthesis Report of the Global Thematic Public Consultation on the Post-2015 Development Agenda focusing on inequalities, it is stated that "there is considerable evidence that inequalities in one structural domain increase the likelihood of inequalities in others. In the event of opportunity for improvements in one domain, the chances of progress are often undermined or rendered inaccessible by simultaneous intersecting disadvantage in another. These intersecting and mutually reinforcing inequalities are often rooted in historical relationships, and continue to be reproduced through discrimination in social, economic, environmental and political domains."
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The Court has long asserted that minority protection justifies the application of a different electoral system within the State in order to ensure better minority representation in the legislature. Nevertheless, it has established that, "any electoral system must be assessed in the light of the political evolution of the country concerned", and, as a result, "features that would be unacceptable in the context of one system may accordingly be justified in the context of another".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- The Government of Colombia consulted with Roma communities in the context of drafting national development plans for the period 2014 to 2018 and committed to implementing strategies to increase Roma visibility, improve their quality of life and provide for improved access to their social, economic and cultural and political rights. In Argentina, a local Roma NGO has been successful in initiating dialogues between civil society and the State, which has proved to be key in promoting the visibility of Roma culture.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- In Bulgaria, under the "Thank you, Mayor!" campaign, a grass-roots organization invested in capacity-building initiatives for local Roma advocacy groups. The campaign mobilized local activists and stakeholders, empowering them to develop and implement, in partnership with local administrations, successful Roma inclusion strategies in 12 municipalities. The project demonstrates how inclusive dialogue between Roma communities and local municipalities and a bottom-up approach can produce concrete commitments from local administrations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- A recent study of Sierra Leone underscores the importance of translation: of individuals interviewed in pretrial detention, 9 per cent did not understand English, the language typically used in the courts.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The marginalization experienced by Roma is often interconnected with disadvantage in the area of economic and social rights, often stemming from, or leading to, further impediments in civil and political rights and vice versa. However, the Special Rapporteur has observed a tendency of Roma programmes to focus on short-term, issue-specific projects that fail to adopt an integrated approach that addresses multisectoral disadvantage. Many measures and instruments focus exclusively on one policy area and are delivered through uncoordinated projects with insufficient connection to other, interconnected policies and funds. For example, housing programmes that tackle issues of adequacy, including ghettoization and segregation, that are not linked to employment opportunities will have little prospect for long-term sustainability. Comprehensive solutions should take account of intersecting discrimination that Roma face and ensure that programmes are developed in genuine consultation with affected communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- There is a need for integrated approaches that combine measures in different policy areas, strengthen political will at the national and local levels in particular and build mutual trust and an openness to learn from past mistakes. Inclusion programmes should not be limited to material improvements; they should also contribute to the empowerment of both urban and rural Roma communities, strengthen dedicated institutional attention to Roma rights and encourage Roma leadership in order to break the vicious cycle of discrimination and marginalization. Such programmes should ensure that Roma groups most at risk of discrimination and/or social and economic exclusion are also targeted and empowered.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Most stakeholders consulted agree that the crucial issue of the political participation of Roma has been neglected by most policymakers and institutions across the regions. Despite numerous new programmes and the unprecedented achievements of Roma intellectuals, professionals and activists around the world, Roma remain largely underrepresented or unrepresented in local and national bodies, and remain peripheral in regional and international decision-making bodies, including in institutions explicitly established to protect and promote their rights.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Concerns have been raised about technical and substantial challenges facing Roma organizations in accessing European Union funding, including overly burdensome bureaucratic requirements, constantly changing rules and formalities and liquidity and cash flow issues. In addition, the level of expertise and the financial resources needed to implement European Union programmes are often too onerous for smaller grass-roots organizations. As a result, large funding sources are often absorbed by large non-Roma recipients and just a small percentage reaches Roma communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- Independent regulatory bodies, such as media watchdogs, councils and ombudsmen, monitor media reporting, identify and report on hateful content and reinforce ethical standards. However, regulatory media bodies must not unduly censor media sources and must comply with international standards. The Press Council in Bosnia-Herzegovina monitors the application of the Press Code and the investigation of complaints. In 2014, in the context of the general elections campaign, it launched the campaign "STOP! Hate Speech!".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- In April 2014, Rwanda Media High Council, in partnership with the African Media Initiative and the Ethical Journalism Network, launched the campaign "Turning the Page of Hate Media in Africa", coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the genocide. The campaign aims to promote ethical, tolerant and inclusive journalism, good media governance and responsible communications through the open information landscape, and includes a guideline document to test for hate speech in journalism practices.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The National Cohesion and Integration Commission of Kenya was created in 2008, following ethnically based election violence, to "facilitate and promote equality of opportunity, good relations, harmony and peaceful coexistence between persons of different ethnic and racial backgrounds". It advises the Government, and its activities address discrimination on ethnic grounds and seek to promote respect for religious, cultural and linguistic diversity. The Ethnic Relations Commission of Guyana was created following ethnic violence between Indian and Afro-Guyanese communities to monitor and improve ethnic relations and observe political activities. It held cross-country, multi-stakeholder forums prior to 2006 elections, recognizing that elections had become an ethnic and political flashpoint.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- In Turkey, data indicates that the Roma population ranges from 500,000 to 5 million. In Ukraine, 47,600 persons identified themselves as Roma, according to 2001 census data, yet the Council of Europe estimates there are between 120,000 and 400,000 Ukrainian Roma. In Belarus, the 2009 census indicated a population of 7,316 Roma, but the Government recognizes that that number does not necessarily reflect the true figure, which ranges between 50,000 and 60,000. The 2010 census in the Russian Federation estimated that there was a population of 205,007 Russian Roma, although Council of Europe data suggest a larger population of between 450,000 and 1.2 million.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- While extreme nationalist, racist, xenophobic or radical elements may exist in any country, States which fully implement minority rights protections and legal, judicial and institutional safeguards are better placed to ensure that any illegal actions and incitement to acts of violence are prohibited and prosecuted according to the law. Hate-motivated activities are curtailed by legal prohibition and appropriate penalties and through a general societal rejection of them. The threat of prosecution and appropriate penalties is a major deterrent and preventative tool.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur thus believes it is necessary to reflect on the lessons learned, both globally and in particular from the European experience, to understand better why existing approaches have not managed to bring about structural change. Although she recognizes that every Roma community is unique, and there is no blanket approach that will accommodate every community, she believes that drawing some general lessons from real examples may be helpful for all regions looking forward.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- On 19 and 20 November 2012, the Independent Expert participated in an event in Doha on the theme "Reflections on the inclusion of human rights in the process of constitutional reforms in the region of the Middle East and North Africa", organized by OHCHR. She highlighted the fact that implementation of the Declaration should be strengthened in the region and that strong provisions for minority rights in constitutions and national law are important components of protection.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- Establishing institutions for the protection of minority rights and ensuring attention to minority rights within existing national and human rights institutions are essential violence prevention measures. Such institutional attention facilitates early warning and early response and the establishment of the appropriate policy frameworks and violence prevention strategies that are essential to the prevention of violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The following thematic discussion forms part of an ongoing programme of work by the Independent Expert to ensure that minority issues are given appropriate attention in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. She will continue to consult widely on this issue with all relevant stakeholders at the global and national level to achieve this objective.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- In Colombia, Decree 2957 of 2010 was adopted to set up a legal framework for the protection of the rights of Roma in Colombia, recognizing collective rights for Roma people. The same year, the National Commission for Dialogue for Roma People (Comisión Nacional de Diálogo para el Pueblo Rom) was created to coordinate action between governments and local communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Portugal has established the Project for Municipal Roma Mediators, providing intercultural training to 15 Roma mediators which led to their inclusion in 18 local municipalities. The objective was to provide Roma inclusion-related services, guaranteeing the establishment of close links between local services, organizations and local Roma communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Failure to accommodate a convicted minority prisoner's particular needs may cause so much additional suffering, compared with that of non-minority prisoners in an equivalent position, as to render the punishment discriminatory and a violation of equality before the law. Such punishment could constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or even torture.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- In Hungary, the documentary film series "Mundi Romani - The World through Roma Eyes" is a co-production of the Romedia Foundation. Each episode presents a different aspect of Roma culture in locations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. The series provides insights into Roma culture and was nominated for and received a number of local and international prizes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur regrets that there is a lack of official information on funding dedicated to measures to improve the situation of Roma communities outside Europe, indicating that they are unlikely to exist. The Special Rapporteur therefore calls on all Governments to dedicate sufficient funding to improving the situation of Roma.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- Governments should ensure that Roma are represented at all levels of public institutions and bodies, including national parliaments, the civil service, the police and the judiciary. Where Roma leaders are visible, their work should be promoted and they should be supported to act as role models and raise awareness of Roma political participation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph