Summary

The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, conducted a visit to Botswana from 12 to 24 August 2018 to examine existing legislation, policies and practices for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, in particular with regard to access to quality education, health and other public services, the use of minority languages, access to landownership and resources, the political participation of minorities and efforts to fight hate speech. In his report on the visit, he highlights the positive steps taken by the Government of Botswana to uphold the rights of national ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. The Special Rapporteur makes a number of recommendations with a view to assisting the Government and other relevant actors in their efforts to address the challenges in implementing the human rights of minorities in Botswana.