About minorities and human rights | OHCHR Minorities exist in every country of the world, enriching the diversity of their societies Minority identity is understood to involve subjective and objective elements The self-identification of the person concerned is taken to be determinative UN definitions—set out primarily in a 1992 Declaration—focus on four categories: national, ethnic, religious and linguistic It is commonly
Minorities | OHCHR Minorities enrich the societies of each and every country in the world Yet too often, minorities face multiple forms of discrimination, resulting in marginalization, violence and exclusion We must aim to ensure that no one is afraid to self-identify as a member of a minority, fearing disadvantage will come out of that decision Persons belonging to minorities must be guaranteed protection of
About minorities and human rights | OHCHR The outcome document of the 2005 World Summit of Heads of State and Government, approved by the General Assembly, notes that “the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities contributes to political and social stability and peace and enriches the cultural diversity and heritage of society”
United Nations Guide for Minorities | OHCHR OHCHR and minorities United Nations Guide for Minorities UN Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities Combating intolerance against persons based on religion or belief Access to justice by persons from descent-based communities
OHCHR and minorities About minorities and human rights All countries in the world include persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, enriching the diversity of their societies Minorities face multiple forms of discrimination resulting in marginalization and exclusion
Special Rapporteur on minority issues | OHCHR Learn more about human rights and minorities About the mandate The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues was established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2005 79 of 21 April 2005 It was extended by subsequent resolutions for periods of three years, most recently in 2023 in resolution 52 5
Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic . . . Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain, without any discrimination, free and peaceful contacts with other members of their group and with persons belonging to other minorities, as well as contacts across frontiers with citizens of other States to whom they are related by national or ethnic, religious or
Minorities, Discrimination and Statelessness | OHCHR It further limits their access to services and the enjoyment of their human rights As flagged by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, women belonging to minorities may be further marginalized by gender-based discrimination in relation to their acquisition, change or retention of nationality and the conferral of nationality on their children
Minorities Fellowship Programme | OHCHR About the Fellowship ProgrammeLaunched in 2005, the Minorities Fellowship Programme (MFP) is OHCHR’s most comprehensive training programme for human rights and minority rights defenders belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
“We must do more to protect minorities” | OHCHR Through its very first article, the Declaration established that States must protect the existence, identity and the rights of minorities to equality and participation “We all recognise that promoting and protecting minorities is an obligation inherent in universal human rights and this is in the interest of society as a whole,” Türk said