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Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Given that tenure can take a variety of forms and that States must ensure security of tenure to all, irrespective of tenure type, what are States' obligations with respect to ensuring that all forms of tenure that are legitimate under international human rights law are protected equally? Guidance is incomplete in this regard. United Nations and regional human rights bodies have focused only on a limited range of forms of tenure-mostly private property, indigenous communal ownership or use, women's access to land, property or inheritance, informal tenure (mostly in cases involving Roma), and occupancy tenancy rights (in countries that were previously part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Claims have recently been brought against the Dominican Republic and Panama, for example, on the basis that government decisions to cancel planned luxury developments in order to protect indigenous territories or environmental resources violated investors' rights under bilateral investment treaties. The Government of Mauritius is currently being taken to arbitration by a group of property development companies from the United Kingdom that invested in luxury real estate developments in Mauritius and are now seeking damages for a decision on the part of the Government to change its planning policy to restrict such developments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Other forms of tenure are barely discussed. For instance, collective tenure-other than that held by indigenous peoples-warrants further examination. It is also unclear what State obligations are with respect to tenancy. Should States adopt a framework of tenant protection? How should tenants' rights be balanced with the rights of property owners? What are the limits within which tenants' rights or the rights of holders of other forms of tenure can be ensured?
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights have developed important jurisprudence recognizing the obligation of the State to protect the special relationship between indigenous peoples and land in addressing violations in which, for example, members of indigenous communities have been "violently forced from their homes and traditional lands into a situation of ongoing displacement". In addition, in considering the plight of street-connected children, the Court has explained that the right to life requires States to take positive measures to ensure access to the conditions needed to lead a dignified life, recognizing that the right to life belongs "at the same time to the domain of civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is compounded by other grounds, notably sex, gender, socioeconomic status, race and belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minority groups. Indigenous peoples in Canada experience twice the rate of disability as the non-indigenous population and are subjected to intersecting discrimination on the basis of indigeneity, poverty and disability. Criminalization of persons with disabilities, in particular those living in homelessness and those with psychosocial disabilities, is common. A typical pattern for persons with psychosocial disabilities is first to lose their housing, when their needs are not accommodated or when they do not receive adequate financial assistance, then to be criminalized in the context of homelessness and then to be incarcerated. In prison, punitive responses for persons with psychosocial disabilities result in extended isolation, segregation, further deterioration of mental health and an ongoing cycle of homelessness and incarceration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Another rich source for understanding the right to life and the right to adequate housing in international human rights law is article 7 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It affirms that indigenous individuals "have the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person" and that indigenous peoples have "the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples". The development and application of these rights has the potential to enhance the understanding of the social dimensions of the right to life and the interplay between the collective and individual dimensions of that right; it may also prompt a response to violations of rights to lands, territories or resources.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Fifty years after the separation of international human rights into the two covenants, the United Nations is well situated to retrieve a unified and inclusive understanding of human rights and to affirm that the right to life includes the right to a place to live in dignity and security, free of violence. The Human Rights Committee has the opportunity to affirm this integrated understanding of the right to life in the ongoing preparation of its general comment No. 36. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has the opportunity under its Optional Protocol to highlight the connection between the rights to life and adequate housing in lived experience. Other treaty monitoring bodies have the opportunity to ensure that the understanding of the rights to life and adequate housing is informed by the experiences and unique claims of people with disabilities, women, children, migrants, racial minorities and indigenous peoples, among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The practice of debt bondage in South Asia is reported to be widespread, particularly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The existence of debt bondage has also been reported in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. However the majority of those in debt bondage are reported to be in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, despite the specific prohibition on such practices within the legal frameworks of these countries. Those who are trapped in debt bondage in South Asia are reportedly predominantly Dalits, persons of "low" caste, indigenous peoples or members of other minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- In Latin America, debt bondage mainly affects marginalized communities, including those impacted by poverty, indigenous peoples, those living in rural areas and persons of African descent. Victims of debt bondage are often recruited to work within their own locality or transported to areas where there are new commercial developments. They work in a range of industries, including production of charcoal and pig iron, timber processing and agriculture. Debt bondage has been reported in countries such as the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru, where there are high proportions of indigenous peoples.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- One context in which the relevance of human rights might have been expected to be acknowledged is the environmental and social "safeguard" policies of the Bank. However, the current safeguards contain no explicit human rights policy and the sole reference to human rights occurs in operational policy 4.10 on indigenous peoples. Human rights have sometimes had an indirect influence on the interpretation of the safeguard policies by the World Bank Inspection Panel, but the practice in that regard has been inconsistent and piecemeal.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- International civil society groups should mobilize effectively and in coalition with groups in other sectors to advocate and promote the Social Protection Floor Initiative. While the Center for Economic and Social Rights joined with a range of other groups, including Amnesty International, to call for a commitment to social protection floors in the sustainable development goals, the great majority of international human rights groups have said little and done less on the issue. It is essential to acknowledge that extreme poverty, which continues to afflict hundreds of millions of people, is a negation of all human rights. International civil society groups in the human rights field fight valiantly to eliminate torture, to reduce and expose extrajudicial executions, to reduce violence against women, to outlaw discrimination and the oppression of minorities and so on, but if the elimination of extreme poverty is not a central part of the collective human rights vision, it is a highly selective battle that is being fought.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The right to self-determination, enshrined in both the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, expressly encompasses the rights of peoples (not the State or Government) to freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources. Considering that many natural resources are finite and non-renewable, this right needs to be protected with special care, taking into account the rights of future generations. At the very least, a State's population has a right to enjoy a fair share of the financial and social benefits that natural resources can bring. This requires ensuring participation, access to information and high standards of transparency and accountability in decision-making about the use of natural resources. Where indigenous peoples are involved, States have additional and specific obligations, including ensuring free, prior and informed consent in any decisions regarding the use of their lands.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Certain groups that suffer from structural discrimination and exclusion and are disproportionately represented among the poor, particularly ethnic and racial minorities, migrants and indigenous peoples, encounter additional barriers to accessing justice. Those difficulties are multiplied for women living in poverty, who experience compounded discrimination and disempowerment, not to mention financial constraints. Therefore, across different contexts, women living in poverty experience particular difficulties in accessing justice mechanisms and winning judicial recognition, action and enforcement for crimes, discrimination and human rights violations they are disproportionately subject to. Children are often denied the due process guarantees that they are entitled to on the same basis as adults, as well as additional protections that are necessary, in particular when they are particularly deprived or marginalized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention of the International Labour Organization (1989) (ILO Convention No. 169) is focused on participation of indigenous people in decision-making, and is the only international convention to assign governments the duty of face-to-face consultation with communities. It states that consultation with indigenous peoples should be undertaken through appropriate procedures, in good faith and through the representative institutions of these peoples; the peoples involved should have the opportunity to participate freely at all levels in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of measures and programmes that affect them directly. ILO Convention No. 169 also specifies individual circumstances in which consultation with indigenous and tribal peoples is an obligation. In particular, relocation/displacement of the community should take place only with their "free and informed consent".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- If not developed with the indigenous and tribal institutions or organizations that are truly representative of the peoples in question, consultations will not comply with the requirements of the Convention. Notably, in applying the Convention, several judgments of national and regional tribunals have found that the non-participation of indigenous groups in consultation or decision-making processes violated their rights and, as such, a broad set of measures have been judicially ordered, from the invalidation of approval of government projects especially in the mining, forestry and energy sectors, to remedies for those affected.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, although not legally binding, developed further the importance of free, prior and informed consent in matters of fundamental importance for the rights, survival and dignity of indigenous peoples, based on their right to self-determination. "Free" means without coercion, intimidation or manipulation; "prior" implies in advance of the activity or decision being made, with sufficient time for indigenous peoples to undertake their own decision-making processes; "informed" necessitates provision of objective, accurate and complete information relating to the activity, presented in a manner and form understandable to indigenous peoples (A/HRC/18/42, Annex, para. 25).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Even in comparison with other multilateral development banks, the World Bank is still an outlier. A recent Bank study concluded that "[m]ost of the other MDBs refer to 'human rights' in supportive aspirational terms while recognizing the responsibility of clients to respect human rights." The World Bank, it noted, does so solely in relation to indigenous peoples. Thus, while the World Bank was in good company in the 1980s in being wary of incorporating human rights standards into its work, it now stands almost alone, along with the International Monetary Fund, in insisting that human rights are matters of politics which it must, as a matter of legal principle, avoid, rather than being an integral part of the international legal order.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Given the great diversity of social contexts, there is no "one size fits all" solution for ensuring access to justice for persons living in poverty. Differing national and local contexts create a variety of challenges and opportunities for reform that must be taken into account. Success in all contexts, however, will share the features of a human rights-based approach. Solutions require tackling not only legal obstacles but also a range of extralegal factors: social, economic, cultural, linguistic, etc. Solutions must be sought at local levels, designed and implemented with the active participation of the communities affected. Therefore, policymakers and legal authorities should have a specific contextual understanding of local legal institutions and the variety of obstacles on the ground that impede access to justice by persons living in poverty, and implement multidimensional solutions that can strengthen their agency and ensure their enjoyment of their rights. Special attention must be paid to women and groups that are particularly excluded, such as indigenous peoples, older persons and migrants. With this in mind, States must take immediate and effective action to ensure that persons living in poverty are not denied enjoyment of their human rights because of insurmountable obstacles which prevent them from accessing the justice system. To this end, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- In 1992, the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, Danilo Türk, recommended that a special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights be appointed. He characterized income inequality as one of the main challenges of the time, and stated that income distribution within States remained distressingly inequitable. The Special Rapporteur lamented the fact that, in the 1980s, the urban working classes and large segments of the middle class had been impoverished, while groups and businessmen associated in one way or another with the internationalization of capital represented the major economic beneficiaries of the previous 10 years. He found that drastic measures to rectify that income injustice were required and that adequately carrying out poverty-reduction programmes and fulfilling economic, social and cultural rights throughout society was unthinkable without also redressing current income imbalances. He identified taxation as a central means of redressing existing imbalances of income distribution (see E/CN.4/Sub.2/1992/16, paras. 76-84).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Second, the means by which economic and social rights are to be realized needs to be highly sensitive to national specificities: just as proponents of the Covenant have recognized that dimension, so too is the Initiative built upon assumptions of national ownership. By the same token, there have been compelling arguments made for the need to pay much more attention in future to local or indigenous mutual support systems and institutions in the area of social protection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
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
Paragraph
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
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
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
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
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
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires that "(i)n those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language". The Declaration further elaborates the rights of minorities and the obligations upon States. Numerous provisions within the Declaration require positive measures in legislation, policy and programming to ensure the full and effective participation of minorities in public life. Their implementation may best be achieved through a national policy and institutional framework incorporating targeted attention to minority rights.
- 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
- 2012
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Institutional attention to minority rights can assist in international cooperation and prevent international tensions relating to the treatment of minorities. The existence of minorities in a State may have cross-border implications, in cases where, for example, they have a "kin" State or external religious ties. Minorities have the right to maintain peaceful contacts across frontiers. Owing to historical or geopolitical factors, the treatment of minorities may be sensitive. The Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has produced recommendations on national minorities in inter-State relations. While protection of minorities is primarily the responsibility of the State of residence, States are encouraged to conclude bilateral treaties and arrangements, share information and concerns, pursue interests and ideas, and support minorities on the basis of friendly inter-State relations. States are recommended to use instruments, including advisory and consultative bodies such as minority councils or joint commissions, and establish mediation and arbitration mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Governments can be important sources of support and funding for non governmental organizations. Even where Governments establish institutional attention to minority issues, they may consider providing institutionalized support to non-governmental organizations and community groups working with and on behalf of minorities, including in the context of specific services and projects. They should also assist in the establishment of, and provide support to, minority media that provide an essential service and information delivery mechanisms for minorities. However, service provision by non-governmental organizations should not be considered a viable substitute for dedicated Government attention to minority issues and Government-led provision of essential services and allocation of financial resources necessary to improve the living conditions and protect the rights of minorities.
- 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
- 2012
Paragraph
The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Permanent assemblies or political bodies can facilitate minority representation in national political structures. The members of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan represent 40 of the largest ethnic groups. The Government states that it revives and promotes ethnic cultures, languages and traditions; strengthens inter ethnic unity and harmony through the monitoring of ethnic relations; and makes recommendations on State policy. Deputies in the lower house of the parliament are appointed from among the members of the Assembly. The House of Federation of Ethiopia, which is the upper house of the parliament, is composed of representatives of over 60 "nations, nationalities and peoples". It is intended to act as an assurance mechanism for the rights of ethnic groups, as established in the constitution. Such bodies must be based on principles of democratic accountability and electoral legitimacy.
- 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
- 2012
Paragraph