Assistant Secretary-General Ilze Brands Kehris statement at High-level meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on minorities rights

Remarks by Assistant Secretary-General Ilze Brands Kehris

High-level meeting to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,

Thirty years ago, Member States made a commitment to ensure that the human rights of persons belonging to national, or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities would be more effectively implemented -- their rights to existence and identity, equality and full and effective participation in all spheres of life, including cultural, religious, social, economic and public life.

Building on Article 27 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, a legally binding obligation for the Covenant’s 173 States Parties, the Declaration elaborated a common understanding of the minimum content of these rights, even if the rights themselves were far from new. It recognized that specifically promoting and protecting the human rights of persons belonging to minorities is an obligation inherent in universal human rights and that this is in the interest of society as a whole.

The Declaration confirms Member States’ obligations to protect and promote minority rights within their jurisdictions and stresses that they should cooperate to promote mutual understanding of and respect for these rights. Multilateral engagement is both legitimate and necessary.

The Declaration also specifies that the entities of the United Nations system shall contribute to the full realization of these rights.

Three decades later, this commitment has not been fulfilled. Evidence shows that minorities still often face discrimination, exclusion and marginalization. The concurrent crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and environmental pollution, the effect of war and conflict and financial crises, disproportionally affect minorities. This is exacerbated by structural inequalities and marginalization so deeply rooted in our societies that we seem blind to them. In recent years, the resurgence of nationalism in exclusionary forms has fertilized seeds of discontent among majority populations, which, combined with prejudice, spills over to scapegoating minorities, while legitimate grievances of minorities remain unheard and unaddressed.

Hate speech and hate crime is on the rise across our globe and simmering tensions at times already boil over into conflict. Human rights defenders, including of minority rights, face increasing harassment and intimidation both online and offline. Early warning signs of rights not respected have turned into alarm bells. There is no time to waste.

And we know what to do. The answer is not unity based on imposed assimilation, but a celebration of diversity, where accommodating voluntary group identity is recognized as strengthening common belonging and social cohesion; where pluralistic, multiple and multilayered identities foster understanding and mutual respect.

Progress is within reach: we have numerous examples of effective measures that ensure a better implementation of a range of minority rights – linguistic, educational, participatory and the right to be free from discrimination. From Constitutional recognition to statutory legislation, from various forms of designated public institutions to consultative bodies and elected representation guarantees, from inclusive public policies to targeted special measures – good practices abound. The sustained and safe engagement of civil society actors, especially minority representatives, is critical, at all levels – local, national, regional and global. The need for contextually sensitive implementation does not diminish the usefulness of sharing lessons learned from accumulated experience in all regions of the world.

We should all contribute to the use and strengthening of the existing United Nations mechanisms for multilateral engagement and support to Member States on matters related to minority rights protection, including the Special Rapporteur and the Forum on Minority Issues, as well as relevant Treaty Body expertise.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regularly monitors and stands ready to assist in the implementation of minority rights through its more than hundred field presences, works to empower minority actors through its capacity building fellowship program, and co-chairs the Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, where information and guidance is shared among more than 20 participating UN entities.

The Declaration provides the global minority rights framework, but progress in implementation has stalled, in some cases even regressed, and attention has waned. Member State and multilateral action is urgently needed to raise the priority of minority rights on the global agenda.

The United Nations system itself needs to step up and make the promise of jointness of action across all United Nations, anchored in the Secretary- General’s Call to Action for Human Rights and Our Common Agenda, a reality.

Now is the time for mobilizing the political will to take on this commitment with renewed resolve.