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Title | Date added | Template | Original document | Paragraph text | Body | Document type | Thematics | Topic(s) | Person(s) affected | Year |
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Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 60 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minorities may also experience particular restrictions on their freedom of movement during conflict and humanitarian crises, including more frequent stops or because of their identity even being blocked at border and checkpoints when attempting to flee conflicts, as well as intimidation, discrimination or even violence against them when trying to flee. For example, it has been well documented that sub-Saharan African migrants and asylum seekers, seeking to transit through countries in North Africa en route to Europe have been particularly targeted on account of their race, and suffered violence. In some instances, minorities seeking asylum status may be arbitrarily detained and forcefully deported to their home countries without adequate assessment of their asylum claims and/or may encounter particular obstacles to be registered as asylum seekers based on their minority characteristics. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 26 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | At the national level, this may involve internal armed conflict or hostilities within a State. At the international level, this may involve international armed conflict between two or more armed forces of different countries. Such outbreaks of conflict may cause large-scale mass movements of people, as they flee violence and chaos. This can lead to internal displacement, as well as international migration flows, as affected individuals and communities flee their homes within their own country as internally displaced persons, or migrate abroad, including through seeking asylum. Conflict may also lead to other large-scale humanitarian crises such as epidemics, food or water insecurity, among others. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 71 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Returns following the cessation of conflict have been extensively documented, in particular in connection with the return of Roma from Western Europe to the Balkans. Where deportations take place without consent, minorities may face numerous obstacles to their basic human rights, including lack of access to personal documents and statelessness; problems repossessing their property or obtaining housing; difficulties accessing education, health, employment and social welfare; and separation from family members. In some cases, loss of temporary protection status in host countries and the forced repatriation to their countries of origin, coupled with the lack of adequate policies for the integration of returnees, have resulted in minority communities being forced into continuous migration. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 84 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | This was also the case regarding the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which wreaked havoc across the United States Gulf Coast. While the hurricane led to one of the greatest episodes of internal displacement in United States history, with over a million people forced from their homes and communities, the disaster also had a clear racial dimension. In terms of evacuation, in the state of Louisiana for example, the funded evacuation plan relied on personal vehicles as the primary means of escape. However, Black Americans, who constituted the majority of the pre-Katrina population of New Orleans, were less likely to own cars than whites, and therefore faced a serious disadvantage. Another example comes from Pakistan, where there are allegations that members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community did not receive equal access to humanitarian services in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 floods. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 75 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In particular, it can be especially challenging for minorities affected by crises to obtain documentation or the replacement of lost or destroyed documentation given their status as minorities and as displaced persons (see A/HRC/26/33/Add.2, para. 21). | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 92 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Finally, while internal displacements due to disasters have traditionally been for short periods, their increased frequency and severity, including owing to climate change, point to more chronic situations likely to involve new, more prolonged or definitive displacements - and requiring more comprehensive displacement responses, in particular taking into account the needs of minorities. Moreover, recurrent disasters, such as more frequent flooding for example, can significantly impact the resilience of the people living in disaster-prone areas, including owing to destruction of livelihoods and destruction of homes and basic infrastructure. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 98 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The current global humanitarian context is alarming. Ongoing and protracted conflicts are leading to massive displacement crises: there are unprecedented numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, and inter-ethnic and interracial tensions and conflict are erupting in nearly every region of the world. Many conflicts threaten to further deteriorate, and new conflicts are emerging. These conflicts are often rooted in power struggles, identity politics, competition for resources, rising income disparities and socioeconomic inequalities, and increasing polarization of societies, making national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities particularly vulnerable; indeed many of the persons who flee their countries for fear of persecution are members of minority groups targeted precisely because of their minority identity. Furthermore, with the impact of climate change, disasters are becoming all too frequent and widespread, further affecting minorities. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 61 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In other circumstances, including during internal conflicts, certain minorities' freedom of movement is restricted on account of their identity, owing to perceived threats that they pose. This can lead to a refusal to permit passage to safe areas and restrict access to humanitarian assistance for those individuals because of the community's identity or ethnicity. The Special Rapporteur observed this with regard to internally displaced persons in relation to Sunni Muslims in the Kurdistan region in Iraq (see A/HRC/32/35/Add.1, para. 43). | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 15 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the scale of global humanitarian needs is higher than ever. As of December 2015, there were an estimated 125 million people in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide. Ongoing humanitarian crises in the Syrian Arab Republic, South Sudan and Iraq, and other natural disasters and medical outbreaks, including the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa, have affected the lives of tens of millions of people. Large numbers of people continue to suffer as a result of other new, chronic or recurrent conflicts, crises and disasters. Moreover, currently there are unprecedented numbers of persons displaced worldwide with situations of protracted conflict and violence creating increasingly large numbers of both refugees and internally displaced persons. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner Refugees, by the end of 2015, 65.3 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide; the highest number to date, as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations. Furthermore, an estimated 107.3 million people (also the highest to date) were displaced by disasters. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 39 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | UNHCR has also developed policies and materials that provide further guidance regarding refugees on how to ensure that refugee protection responses are participatory, non-discriminatory, and sensitive to the specific needs of all persons of concern, including the specific needs of members of minority groups. Its Executive Committee (ExCom), comprising over 90 States, adopted in 2005 a General Conclusion on International Protection No. 102 which "acknowledges the important contribution of the age and gender and diversity mainstreaming strategy in identifying, through a participatory approach, the protection risks faced by the different members of the refugee community; and encourages UNHCR and its NGO partners to continue to roll out and implement on the ground this important strategy, as a means to promote the rights and well-being of all refugees, in particular the non-discriminatory treatment and protection of refugee women and refugee children and minority groups of refugees". | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 47 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | There is sometimes a direct causal link between belonging to a minority group and being affected by a humanitarian crisis. Indeed, belonging to a minority group can be a direct factor leading to displacement in the context of conflict. As has been observed by OHCHR, the "lack of respect for, lack of protection and lack of fulfilment of the rights of minorities may be at least a contributing factor if not the primary cause of displacement and may in the worst cases - even lead to the extinction of such communities. The displacement of minorities can thus serve as an indicator of the degree to which their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled in the country from which they are displaced." | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 94 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Reports indicate that discriminatory practices against Dalits in humanitarian response include priority given to dominant castes in rescue operations; denial of or unequal access to relief camps, food, water, health services, shelter, housing and education; segregation in camp facilities; prohibition of use of the common sanitation facilities; segregation in commensal groups; lack of compensation or restitution of assets due to lack of documentation to claim entitlements related to land and property; and lack of participation of affected communities in decision-making regarding reconstruction. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 55 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | While minorities may be affected in different ways by humanitarian crises owing to their minority status or indirectly, they may also often face specific human rights challenges and discrimination during or after potential displacement or disruption because of humanitarian crises, owing to their specific position as a member of a minority group in a society, even when the trigger of their displacement or changed situation is not directly linked to their affiliation to that minority group. Indeed, the Special Rapporteur notes that belonging to a minority, coupled with other potential discriminatory factors, such as gender, can have a dramatic impact on humanitarian protection afforded to the person. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 101 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | To this end, the collection of data disaggregated by ethnicity, religion and language is essential to adequately map affected groups in humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Data collection programmes should allow for diverse forms of self-identification and comply with international standards regarding the right to privacy. Furthermore, national authorities should collect and share data on all causes of displacement in their country. Equality and anti discrimination laws and legal protection of minorities, and other potentially vulnerable groups should be in place and include provisions relating to the prohibition of unlawful displacement. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 65 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The differentiated access to economic, social and cultural rights for particular minority groups in situations of displacement can often be compounded by a lack of adequate documentation. This may further impede access to humanitarian assistance, including a range of public services during crises such as health care, education, housing and employment programmes, as well as social integration. For example, the Special Rapporteur on internally displaced persons noted in his report on Serbia and Kosovo that Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian internally displaced persons have been more vulnerable than other internally displaced persons in accessing basic services owing to their lack of documentation (see A/HRC/26/33/Add.2, para 20). | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 52 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Even outside fully fledged armed conflicts, discrimination against minority groups in societies may reach such levels that it results in hate-based crimes and leads to internal displacement. In Myanmar, violence and atrocities committed against the Rohingya, coupled with the Government's refusal to recognize their status as an ethnic minority, and denial of their citizenship, has been and is still pushing the Rohingya to flee to other parts of the country or abroad. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 51 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Violence against minorities during conflict also can lead to long-term displacement of those minorities. For example, in 1990, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam expelled the entire Muslim population, estimated to be at least 70,000, from Northern Sri Lanka, many of whom to date have not been able to return to those lands. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 64 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | For example, the Muhamasheen minority in Yemen have been severely affected by the Yemeni conflict, and suffer from an almost absolute lack of protection in a protracted situation of conflict crises and limited humanitarian resources. Unlike others affected by the conflict, Muhamasheen have often been displaced into open spaces or the edges of towns, making their access to resources, such as shelter, water or medical emergency assistance, even more difficult. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 66 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minority groups fleeing crises can face disproportionate obstacles in terms of accessing labour markets, when they are in camps and once they are in host communities. Discrimination and fear is often at the origin of this challenge. The right to education can also be particularly impeded, especially for children who flee a crisis and enter a country where they do not know the language. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 70 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minorities may also be at particular risk of forced return, either in the context of an ongoing humanitarian crisis or once such a crisis is deemed to have ceased. Return always needs to be voluntary, and carried out in safety and dignity in participation and consultation with minorities. Regrettably, the Special Rapporteur has observed with concern examples of minorities forcefully deported back to situations of crises or persecution. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 18 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [In this context the Special Rapporteur on minority issues has decided to dedicate her final report to the General Assembly to this important topic, considering two guiding questions:] In the context of humanitarian crises or disasters, what are the additional challenges that minorities face when seeking protection, even when the trigger of their displacement or changed situation is not directly linked to their affiliation as members of that minority group? | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 93 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minorities may face particular challenges in the search for durable solutions, which can include returning to places of origin (for internally displaced persons) or voluntary repatriation (for refugees) once crises or disasters have subsided, or alternatively settlement elsewhere in the country (for internally displaced persons) and resettlement to a third State (for refugees) in host communities. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 76 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Owing to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, specific challenges face minority women and girls affected by humanitarian crises. According to the General Recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (see CEDAW/C/GC/30, para. 36), during and after conflict specific groups of women, including, inter alia, internally displaced and refugee women, women of diverse caste, ethnic, national or religious identities, or of other minorities, are at a particular risk of violence, especially sexual violence. These groups of women "are often attacked as symbolic representatives of their community". The Committee has further noted that stateless women and girls face heightened risk of abuse during conflict, owing to, among other factors, their minority status (ibid, para. 60). Minority women may be particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of violence, including slavery and trafficking. The Special Rapporteur was deeply troubled and saddened when she listened to the testimonies of Yezidi women in Iraq of sexual and gender-based violence committed against them by Daesh, which acts must be fully investigated and their perpetrators prosecuted. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 20 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | While recognizing the great diversity in the experiences of minorities affected by humanitarian crises, the Special Rapporteur has adopted a global approach, focusing on common themes and patterns experienced by displaced minorities across regions. The Special Rapporteur also refers to particular examples to highlight specific challenges facing minorities. These cases are intended to be illustrative and are in no way exhaustive. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 56 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | On the one hand, the disadvantage experienced by minorities in terms of accessing humanitarian relief in crisis is often explained by existing logistical limitations. In crisis and conflict situations, humanitarian assistance may be concentrated in capital cities and/or in a small number of very large, officially recognized refugee or internally displaced persons camps, with very little reaching the periphery where minority and vulnerable populations may reside. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 23 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur is aware that there are a number of reasons underlying the lack of readily available data in this field. First, there is the likely reluctance of minorities displaced or affected by crises to identify themselves as ethnic, national, religious or linguistic minorities for fear of further discrimination or violence. Second, States may be unwilling to collect such data, insofar as they do not recognize the affected minority group members as citizens, do not recognize their minority status, do not recognize they have been displaced or do not want to draw attention to specific difficulties faced by members of their societies. Finally, in displacement contexts, humanitarian agencies tend to disaggregate data mainly by sex and age, and rarely address other categories, including minority status or special needs. The lack of accurate data and needs assessment of specific groups such as minorities has therefore had an impact on the ability to develop humanitarian programmes that target and address comprehensively discrimination facing minorities in the context of crises. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 22 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Although some studies on specific displacement situations affecting minorities do exist, the Special Rapporteur has observed that there is a lack of accurate, global, disaggregated data that would allow for a clearer global picture of how minorities are affected by humanitarian crises, whether driven by conflict or owing to disasters. While some ad hoc case studies are available on specific situations, much work remains to be done to better document this phenomenon globally through the collection of comprehensive disaggregated data. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 69 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The huge impact of conflict and instability on minorities in Iraq has been documented, including for Muslim minorities, Baha'is, Christians, Armenians, Chaldo-Assyrians, Faili Kurds, Palestinians, Jews, Sabian Mandaeans, Yazidis and others. Minority Rights Group states that: "Minorities in Iraq have continued to be targeted on the grounds of their religion or ethnicity since the US-led invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. They have suffered from killings, kidnappings, torture, harassment, forced conversions and the destruction of homes and property." Persecution, human rights violations and targeted attacks have led to vast numbers of internally displaced persons and a mass exodus of minority communities to neighbouring countries, where they continue to experience severe challenges and poverty. Equally, in Egypt and the Syrian Arab Republic, the full extent of unrest and conflict on minorities is becoming evident and has far-reaching implications for their rights and security. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 70 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In Rakhine State in Myanmar, conflict between the Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya communities erupted in 2012 and resulted in the killing of hundreds, the destruction of homes and property and the internal displacement of over 130,000 people, mostly minority Muslims. Tens of thousands of displaced people, and many thousands of others in villages affected by the conflict and insecurity, now have no access to livelihood activities or income, are dependent on humanitarian assistance for food, shelter, health care, education and water and sanitation. The conflict has had a catastrophic impact on their rights, access to essential services and development, forcing many into a condition of extreme poverty and insecurity. The Government of Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens with implications for their enjoyment of all their human rights. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 48 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In December 2013, along with other independent United Nations experts, the Special Rapporteur urged all parties in the Central African Republic to call an immediate and unconditional halt to the violence in the country, much of which was targeting minorities. In April 2014, along with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Special Rapporteur again voiced her grave concern over the situation of the mainly minority Muslim internally displaced persons in the Central African Republic and urged that minority rights protections be applied. She stressed that the situation in the country was extreme and that saving lives must be a paramount concern. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 |