Statement by H.E. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, President of the Human Rights Council Opening of the fourth session of the Forum on Minority Issues Tuesday, 29 November 2011, 10:00 a.m. Palais des Nations, Salle XX

Madam Chair,
Representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Distinguished delegates and participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to address you this morning as we open the fourth session of the Forum on Minority Issues on “Guaranteeing the rights of minority women”.

At the outset, I would like to express my warm welcome to Ms. Graciela Dixon, who has kindly accepted the important task of chairing this fourth session. I would also like to warmly welcome representatives of Member States, United Nations specialized agencies, representatives of the human rights treaty bodies, international and regional organisations, national human rights institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations, academic and experts.

I would like to extend a very special welcome to all the minority women from around the world who are gathering here today and have travelled in some cases from very far to share their personal experiences with other Forum participants, bringing their wealth of first-hand knowledge to this important meeting. It is equally essential to welcome the many men belonging to minority groups, who have joined us from all regions of the world, as their input in the discussions of this Forum are  also crucial, especially in view of their central role in all efforts towards guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls.

I take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Rita Izsák on her nomination as Independent Expert on minority issues and to wish her success in the conduct of her mandate. Regrettably, Ms. Iszák could not be physically present with us today but her absence at this gathering is for the most joyous of family reasons. We will have the opportunity to hear from her through a recorded statement and I trust that she will also be closely following the discussions. I would also like to extend the Human Rights Council’s sincere gratitude to the former mandate-holder, Ms. Gay McDougall, who has been very successfully guiding the work of this Forum during its first three sessions and has, through her strong commitment, set a very high standard for this annual gathering.

The Forum on Minority Issues has established itself as one of the main platforms for dialogue among relevant stakeholders on the promotion and protection of the rights of minorities, for sharing best practices and for promoting mutual understanding of minority issues, as required by Council resolution 6/15 that established this Forum. Since the creation of the Forum, the organisers have consistently made efforts to give prominence to the voices of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, throughout the Forum proceedings. I trust that the variety of experiences from the wide range of participants present here today will again be reflected into the discussions and ultimately feed into the recommendations that shall be presented by the Independent Expert to the Human Rights Council in March 2012.

Over the past three years, this Forum has addressed key issues in relation to the promotion and the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, namely “Minorities and the right to education”, “Minorities and effective political participation” and “Minorities and effective participation in economic life”. The Council has truly welcomed and benefited from the comprehensive and action-oriented recommendations that have emanated from those previous three sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues. This year, this fourth session will build on the previous ones and discuss the specific challenges faced by minority women in relation to these issues of concern. The Council particularly looks forward to the recommendations that will be the outcome of the present session.

Madam Chair, Ladies and gentlemen,
The promotion and protection of women’s rights and the fight against violence against women have been central to the work of the Human Rights Council ever since it was established. The twin principles of equality and non-discrimination, which are in fact the basis on which the whole international human rights system is built, are equally the foundations on which the Council has been established and continues to build its work on.

Since 2007, the Human Rights Council has included a day dedicated to women’s rights into its programme of work in recognition of both the importance of women’s human rights and the centrality of women’s issues in its activities. In 2010, the discussion focused on the empowerment of women through education, an essential issue that will also be discussed in this forum, focusing on specific challenges faced by minority women, who may suffer multiple forms of discrimination, for being women, but also belonging to a minority group.

The Council also decided in 2007 to hold an annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout its work and mechanisms. In addition to the existing mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, the Council has created last year a new Working Group on discrimination against women, in law and in practice, who will present its first report in June 2012. The Working Group is mandated to make recommendations on the improvement of legislation and the implementation of the law, to contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular goal 3 on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year’s session will build on its previous achievements and inform further on standards guaranteeing the rights of minority women around the world as well as on policies and programs required to ensure the protection and empowerment of women belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.

To this end, I encourage the participants, including the many grassroots organisations coming from all parts of the world and representing all spectrum of society, to engage in a truly constructive and inter-active dialogue, to exchange ideas and share experiences, to inform on obstacles and challenges, but also to identify solutions, and share good practices.

We hope that your inputs will feed the work of the various Human Rights Council mechanisms, to efficiently face the multiple forms of discriminations affecting minority girls and women. 

It is crucial that Member States and all other stakeholders translate the recommendations emanating from this Forum into action at the local, national and international levels. The recommendations should be seen as a tool for governments, to assist them in the adoption of legislative dispositions and policies or programs ensuring full respect of minority women’s rights. It is in this spirit of making a meaningful difference in the lives of minorities in general and minority women in particular that I wish you a substantial, action oriented, successful and rewarding Forum on Minority Issues.  

Thank you for your attention