![]() ![]() That includes promoting the rights of minorities and fighting exclusion. It is not enough just having good legislation, she said, stressing the need for political will and good policy implementation.ĭenis Moncada Colindres, Minister for Foreign Relations of Nicaragua, reiterated that international cooperation is essential in order to achieve a more just and inclusive world. ![]() In many countries, minorities are targets of hate speech and hate crimes, and even calls for genocide. That requires policies which aim towards the protection and promotion of different distinct identities while also fostering interaction between those identities.Īdaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, said that the struggle to eliminate discrimination and to implement the Declaration has gone through its ups and downs. He also noted that his country’s ongoing agricultural reforms are pursuing ways to improve food and nutritional security for displaced persons.īogdan Aurescu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania, said that while multiculturalism is essential for building democratic societies, the defining element is interculturalism and dialogue between the many cultures and identities within a society. ![]() He underscored the vulnerability of refugees and migrants, emphasizing that their rights must be protected under international law. The extensive translation of materials related to the COVID-19 pandemic proved invaluable to Zimbabwe’s pandemic response strategy. Heads of State and Government, Ministers and representatives of more than 40 countries took the floor during the meeting to outline the efforts being made by their respective Governments to uphold the rights of persons belonging to minority groups, with several emphasizing how diversity can strengthen social fabrics and avert internal and cross-border conflict.Įmmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, said that more attention is being given to the learning and teaching of minority languages, which now number 16 in his country’s Constitution. ![]() He called in particular for the establishment of a permanent forum for people belonging to minorities as well as the creation of a voluntary fund to pursue the promise of justice, equality and dignity for all. “The answer is not unity based on imposed assimilation, but a celebration of diversity,” she said.įernand de Varennes, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, said the anniversary is an opportunity to complete an unfinished story at a time of increased hate speech and the use of social media to target minorities. Early warning signs are turning into alarm bells and there is no time to waste. Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, echoed that stance, added that minorities have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflict, financial crises, structural inequalities and resurgent nationalism. Urging States to take concrete steps to make the ideals contained in the Declaration a reality, she emphasized that the minority communities in Iraq “are not going to give up, but we are going to need your help” to avoid the terrible consequences of inaction. Nadia Murad, a Nobel Peace Laureate who is also the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking and a member of the Yazidi community from Iraq, said that discrimination and the deprivation of human rights is a reality for many minorities around the world. “We need political leadership and resolution action,” he said, calling on Member States to take concrete steps to protect minorities and their identity. Thirty years on, however, minorities continue to face forced assimilation, persecution, prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, hatred and violence. Thirty years after its adoption by the General Assembly, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities has yet to fulfil its promise, speakers stressed, during a high-level meeting today on the side lines of the Assembly’s general debate.Īdopted by consensus on 18 December 1992, the Declaration - which builds on Article 27 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights - is based on the premise, found in its preamble that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities “contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live”.Īntónio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, summarized the Declaration’s three core truths: that minority rights are human rights, that the protection of minorities is integral to the Organization’s mission and that promotion of those rights is vital to advancing political and social stability and preventing conflict. ![]()
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