A/HRC/19/56
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
3 January 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Nineteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the independent expert on minority
issues, Rita Izsák
Summary
The present report is the first to be presented to the Human Rights Council by the
newly appointed independent expert on minority issues, Ms. Rita Izsák, who was appointed
by the Council and assumed her functions as mandate holder on 1 August 2011.
The report provides a summary of activities undertaken by the mandate holder since
taking up her functions. The report also includes a discussion of the independent expert’s
expected priorities for her first term as mandate holder. In addition the report also contains
a review of the activities of the former independent expert on minority issues, Ms. Gay
McDougall, since the submission of her previous report to the Human Rights Council in
March 2011 until she completed her tenure as mandate holder on 31 July 2011. During this
period, the mandate holder undertook two official country missions, to Rwanda and to
Bulgaria, to consult on minority issues in those countries.
The report contains an update on the work of the Forum on Minority Issues
following the fourth session of the Forum in November 2011, which focused on
“Guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls”. The independent expert highlights
the fact that women and girls belonging to minorities frequently face multiple or
intersecting forms of discrimination emanating from their status as members of minorities
and as women or girls. This may make minority women and girls particularly vulnerable to
violations and the denial of their rights in both public and private life. Without explicit
recognition of the different life experiences of minority women and men, such
discrimination will often go unnoticed and not be addressed adequately. The Forum
addressed the challenges and opportunities for minority women to fully enjoy all their
rights, including the rights to have access to quality education, to take part effectively in
economic life, to access labour markets and to participate fully in social, cultural and
political life.
GE.12-10012