MESSAGE FROM THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON MINORITIES RIGHTS DAY IN INDIA

It is a great honour for me to have this opportunity to send you a message on the occasion of “Minorities Rights Day”, in celebration of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

As we turn back the pages of history and remember the atrocities committed in the past, often against innocent people whose only fault lay in belonging to the wrong religious, cultural or linguistic group, we have learnt of the importance to build bridges between different groups, and to promote better understanding and mutual tolerance between individuals and communities. Harmonious relations among minorities and between minorities and the majority is a great asset to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural diversity of Indian society. Relations between groups should be considered a great potential for pluralistic cohesion and harmony rather than factors which divide and alienate, leading to tensions and conflict.

The celebration of Minorities Rights Day recognizes the contribution minority groups can make to the enrichment of society. Tolerance, understanding and above all the respect of the rights of persons belonging to minorities are crucial in ensuring coexistence, harmony and peace both within the State and beyond. The international community has given strong evidence of the need to preserve the identity of minorities and to protect and promote their rights. Although several international human rights instruments refer to ethnic, linguistic, cultural or religious groups, the United Nations Declaration on the rights of persons belonging to minorities is the first and only instrument which addresses the specific rights of minorities in a separate document. The text of the Declaration, while ensuring a balance between the rights of persons belonging to minorities to maintain and develop their own identity and characteristics and the corresponding obligations of States, ultimately safeguards the territorial integrity and political independence of the nation as a whole.

Today is an occasion to seek new ways of building bridges with minorities. It provides an occasion to fuel new initiatives to promote tolerance, understanding and friendship among all groups and all individuals in society. Living together while respecting differences is one of the major challenges facing each one of us today and for the years to come.

I wish you every success on this occasion.