Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, provides a summary of his activities and highlights the continuing work on the thematic priorities of statelessness, education and minority languages, hate speech targeting minorities on social media and the prevention of violent conflicts through the protection of the human rights of minorities, as well as the strengthening of the protection of the rights of minorities through regional forums. He also provides a summary of his country visits, communications and other activities.

In the thematic report on the protection of the rights of minorities in the institutions, structures and initiatives of the United Nations, the Special Rapporteur describes how the United Nations has dealt with the rights of minorities since its inception, and how the concerns about the protection of the rights of minorities at the time of the establishment of the United Nations led to the adoption of a resolution on the issue by the General Assembly, alongside the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, even if it was only because of an ability to reach consensus among Member States at that time. He highlights the fact that expected developments did not materialize and describes how minorities rights have languished in the United Nations system, as other marginalized or vulnerable groups were increasingly recognized and became the subjects of legally binding treaties and various institutional entities and supporting initiatives. Recent decades have seen a decreasing interest in minority issues, with no major institutional initiatives for the protection of the rights of minorities, while initiatives have increased significantly for other marginalized or vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, migrants, women and children, among others. In recent treaties, instruments, guidance and other initiatives, minorities have been omitted almost completely, such as in the Sustainable Development Goals, and even in some cases actually expunged from earlier drafts, such as in the most recent version of a draft treaty on business and human rights. The Special Rapporteur calls for steps to mainstream and integrate minority rights in all United Nations pillars and activities and to integrate minority rights into the work of the United Nations system at the global, regional and country levels, including through coordination mechanisms, as was specifically provided for a decade ago in the 2013 guidance note of the Secretary-General on racial discrimination and protection of minorities.