Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Will Present Report to Human Rights Council
The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, will present a report of his mandates activities in 2022 to the Human Rights Council on 23 March 2023. The report, which can also be accessed in the Minority Forum Info database, is focused on “strengthening and mainstreaming the protection of the rights of minorities at the United Nations: an assessment of the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities”. In addition to detailing the activities of the mandate in 2022 and activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the report also critically reviews and assess the implementation of the Declaration since its adoption. Exceptionally, a draft global treaty on minority rights is annexed to the report.
In the report, the Special Rapporteur points out that there has been little development within the UN to protect the rights of minorities, particularly when compared to other marginalized groups. The Special Rapporteur, in particular, points to recommendations made at the 2022 regional forums on minority issues to develop a legally binding instrument on minority rights, to institutionalize the regional forums on minorities, and to create a permanent forum and voluntary fund for minorities at the United Nations.
Information on the upcoming 52nd session of the Human Rights Council, where the Special Rapporteur will present the report, can be found here.
The report can be accessed here in the six official UN languages, while the Annex can be downloaded here.
