May 2005

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UN APPROVES NEW WATCHDOG ON MINORITIES

May 2005 - A new United Nations special mechanism on minorities has been approved by consensus of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at its 61st session in Geneva. A UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues will engage in dialogue with governments and minorities worldwide to promote and protect minority rights. This new mechanism will be a valuable tool to meet the challenge of widespread and ongoing minority rights violations.

The new mandate will play a key role in promoting minority rights issues within the UN system. Essential to its effectiveness will be the ability to enter into consultations with Governments and minorities in a constructive, problem-solving manner, in order to resolve issues of contention. Currently, the UN has only a Working Group on Minorities devoted to minority issues. The establishment of the Independent Expert on Minority Issues, together with the post of UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide created last year, reflect that the UN is getting serious about the protection of minority rights.

The Working Group on Minorities, which was established in 1995, is a subsidiary organ of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (previously called the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities). The Working Group on Minorities meets in Geneva, once a year, for five working days. The eleventh session of the Working Group on Minorities will take place in Geneva from 30 May to 3 June 2005.

According to figures provided by the NGO Minority Rights Group International, minorities comprise an estimated 30-40% of the world’s population, and 70% of the world’s conflicts are of an ethnic or religious nature. In consecuence, rights of minorities should receive greater attention in order to prevent ethnic and religious conflicts and to progress towards the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).