Safeguards to protect and promote diversity crucial for thriving, sustainable, resilient societies, says UN expert

NEW YORK  - Territorial or sectoral autonomy help minority groups preserve and promote their identity but that autonomy should be balanced with institutional mechanisms allowing persons belonging to minorities to contribute to society as a whole, a UN expert said today.

Presenting his report to the General Assembly, Nicolas Levrat, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, said the protection and promotion of the rights of persons belonging to minorities are not only beneficial to them personally, but also to their respective societies, as well as the international community.

The report outlines how different institutional designs by states either promote or impede the fate of minorities. “Self-rule for minority groups on a given territory or on some sectoral issues will de facto guarantee a certain degree of effective participation of minorities and therefore protect and promote diversity in national society,” Levrat said.

The Special Rapporteur provides recommendations on how institutional designs by states based on the subsidiarity principle can ensure the preservation and promotion of identity and effective participation of persons belonging to minorities for the benefit of society as a whole.

Levrat also calls on States and international organisations, especially the UN, to prioritise such institutional considerations in peacebuilding processes through minority-suitable institutional designs that contribute to long-lasting peace.

Calling for an end to conflicts, Levrat said peacebuilding processes are both a time for major institutional changes and an opportunity to alleviate potential tensions between groups co-existing within a single but diverse, peaceful, stable and inclusive society.