Effective Promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

A/RES/70/166View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 72b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

17 versions · 1995–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/199

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/199	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities	3,833	66%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/211	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities	3,518	69%Compare
2022	A/RES/76/168	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities	2,899	72%Compare
2020	A/RES/74/165	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities	2,539	71%Compare
2018	A/RES/72/184	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities	2,532	48%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

10 reports · 2003–2026

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2026	A/81/281	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/80/199
2025	A/80/288	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/78/211
2023	A/78/306	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/168
2021	A/76/255	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/74/165
2019	A/74/215	Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/72/184

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Declarations Dispute Settlement Human Rights Human Rights Advancement Inter-Agency Cooperation Minorities

What’s in this document?

40 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the obligation of States to ensure that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities may exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law, as proclaimed in the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities,¹⁰ and draws attention to the relevant provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,¹¹ including the provisions on forms of multiple discrimination;

¹⁰Resolution 47/135, annex.

¹¹See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I.

Urges States and the international community to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as set out in the Declaration, including through the encouragement of conditions for the promotion of their identity, the provision of adequate education and the facilitation of their participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and cultural life of society and in the economic progress and development of their country, without discrimination, and to apply a gender perspective while doing so;

Urges States to take all appropriate measures, inter alia, constitutional, legislative, administrative and other measures, for the promotion and implementation of the Declaration, and appeals to States to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally, in particular on the exchange of best practices and lessons learned, in accordance with the Declaration, in order to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Calls upon States, with a view to enhancing the implementation of the Declaration and to ensuring the realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, to take appropriate measures by, inter alia:

Reviewing any legislation, policy or practice that has a discriminatory or disproportionately negative effect on persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities with a view to considering its amendment;

Developing awareness-raising and training initiatives, including for public officials, judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials, on the rights contained in the Declaration;

Dedicating departments, sections or focal points within existing institutions or considering the establishment of specialized national institutions or agencies to address the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Undertaking initiatives to ensure that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities are aware of and able to exercise their rights as set out in the Declaration and in other international human rights obligations and commitments;

Recommends that States and other relevant actors ensure to the fullest extent possible that the Declaration is translated into all minority languages and disseminated widely;

Also recommends that States ensure that all measures taken with a view to implementing the Declaration are, to the fullest extent possible, developed, designed, implemented and reviewed with the full, effective and equal participation of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Calls upon States to give special attention to the situation and specific needs of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities belonging to minorities while promoting and protecting the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Encourages States, in their follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to include aspects relating to persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in their national plans of action and, in this context, to take forms of multiple discrimination fully into account;

Calls upon States to integrate the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as effective non-discrimination and equality for all, into strategies for the prevention and resolution of conflicts involving these minorities, while ensuring their full and effective participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of such strategies;

Recommends that States adopt holistic, inclusive and non-discriminatory security and policing strategies, which are important elements in preventing and combating discrimination, including racial profiling, and violence against persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and encourages States to develop and implement these strategies in consultation with the minority communities and incorporate them into wider law enforcement and protection strategies and ensure equal and effective access to justice;

Condemns all acts of violence specifically targeting persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Recognizes that women and girls belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities can be exposed to both gender-based violence and violence on the grounds of their belonging to minorities in conflict and post-conflict situations, urges States to take special measures to protect them from all forms of violence, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, and stresses the importance of their empowerment;

Calls upon States to take all appropriate measures to ensure the protection and care of children belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities who are at risk of or have experienced violence, in accordance with relevant obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child;¹²

¹²United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.

Expresses its appreciation for the successful completion, in November 2014, of the seventh session of the Forum on Minority Issues, on the theme “Preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes targeted against minorities”, which, through the widespread participation of stakeholders, provided an important platform for promoting dialogue on this topic and, as part of its outcome, produced recommendations to prevent violence and related crimes, to address ongoing violence and for post-violence situations,¹³ and encourages States to take into consideration the relevant recommendations of the Forum;

¹³A/HRC/28/77.

Invites States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions as well as academics and experts on minority issues to continue to participate actively in the sessions of the Forum;

Reaffirms that the universal periodic review, as well as the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, constitute important mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in that regard calls upon States to effectively follow up on accepted universal periodic review recommendations related to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and further encourages States parties to give serious consideration to the follow-up to treaty body recommendations on the matter;

Commends the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on minority issues for the work that has been done and the important role played in raising the level of awareness of and in giving added visibility to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and for her guiding role in the preparations for and the work of the Forum, which contributes to efforts to improve cooperation and coordination among all United Nations mechanisms relating to the rights of persons belonging to minorities;

Calls upon all States to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of the tasks and duties mandated to her, to provide her with all the necessary information requested and to seriously consider responding promptly and favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries in order to enable her to fulfil her duties effectively;

Encourages the specialized agencies, regional organizations, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations to develop regular dialogue and cooperation with the mandate holder as well as to continue to contribute to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Calls upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to promote, within his mandate, the implementation of the Declaration, and to engage in a dialogue with Governments for that purpose and regularly update and disseminate widely the United Nations Guide for Minorities;

Welcomes the inter-agency cooperation among United Nations agencies, funds and programmes on minority issues, led by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and urges them to further increase their coordination and cooperation by, inter alia, developing policies on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, drawing also on relevant outcomes of the Forum and taking into account the work of relevant regional organizations;

Takes note in particular, in this regard, of the initiatives and activities of the United Nations network on racial discrimination and the protection of minorities, coordinated by the Office of the High Commissioner and aimed at enhancing dialogue and cooperation between relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and invites the network to continue to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and to consult and engage with persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and civil society actors;

Invites the High Commissioner to continue to seek voluntary contributions to facilitate the effective participation of representatives of non-governmental organizations and persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, in particular those from developing countries, in minority-related activities organized by the United Nations, in particular the activities of its human rights bodies and of the Forum, and in doing so to give particular attention to ensuring the participation of young people and women;

Welcomes, in this regard, the decision of the Human Rights Council to establish a special fund for the participation of civil society and other relevant stakeholders in, inter alia, the Forum on Minority Issues,¹⁴ aiming to facilitate the broadest possible participation of civil society representatives and other relevant stakeholders, with particular attention being paid to participants from least developed countries, and calls upon States to support the participation of civil society and other relevant stakeholders in the Forum and, to that end, to make voluntary contributions to the special fund;

¹⁴See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/68/53/Add.1), chap. IV, decision 24/118.

Calls upon the Secretary-General to make available, at the request of Governments concerned, qualified expertise on minority issues, including in the context of the prevention and resolution of disputes and conflicts, to assist in resolving existing or potential situations involving minorities;

Invites the human rights treaty bodies, as well as special procedures of the Human Rights Council, to continue to give attention, within their respective mandates, to situations and rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and, in this regard, to take into consideration relevant recommendations of the Forum;

Invites the United Nations mechanisms and bodies, the specialized agencies and regional organizations, within their respective mandates, to continue to contribute to the protection and the prevention of violations of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, including by strengthening cooperation in respect of information-gathering and improving the information flow between themselves and with States;

Encourages regional intergovernmental bodies, within their respective regions, to promote greater attention to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities by, inter alia, actively raising awareness of and promoting the Declaration in their work, encouraging its implementation at the national level and considering the creation of thematic and/or special mechanisms on this issue;

Encourages national human rights institutions to pay due attention to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities by, inter alia, considering the establishment of, for instance, a department, section or focal point within their secretariats to address those rights and to play a role in stopping violence, including by monitoring situations of potential threats for persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and by investigating and reporting, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles)¹⁵ and their respective mandates, episodes of targeted violence against persons belonging to minorities, including, when necessary, to regional and international bodies;

¹⁵Resolution 48/134, annex.

Encourages civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to promote awareness of the Declaration and to review the extent to which it integrates the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and the Declaration into its work, as well as to inform persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities about their rights;

Takes note with appreciation of the reports of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and their special focus on preventing and addressing violence and other serious crimes against persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities¹⁶ and on minorities and the criminal justice process;¹⁷

¹⁶A/69/266.

¹⁷A/70/212.

Requests the Special Rapporteur to report annually to the General Assembly and include recommendations for effective strategies for the better implementation of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the effective promotion of the Declaration;¹⁸

¹⁸A/70/255.

Takes note with appreciation of the “Guidance note of the Secretary-General on racial discrimination and protection of minorities” providing guidance for the United Nations system on how to address racial discrimination and the protection of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and aimed at, inter alia, integrating their rights into the work of the United Nations system at the global, regional and country levels, including through coordination mechanisms;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, including information on activities undertaken by Member States, the Office of the High Commissioner, the Special Rapporteur, relevant United Nations entities and other relevant stakeholders to enhance the implementation of the Declaration and to ensure the realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Decides to continue consideration of the question at its seventy-second session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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