OSCE Review Conference

9 September 1999

Mr Moderator,

The original Helsinki Process with the Conferences on Security and Co-operation in Europe shrewdly interlinked the three baskets of security, economic and human dimension issues. Since the end of communism in Eastern Europe, economic issues have essentially moved from the OSCE to other domains. This is understandable but we welcome the opportunity for NGOs to raise economic development issues here today.

It is well known that there is a virtuous circle, where minority rights leads to good intercommunity relations, stability and economic investment. A growing economy can lead to wider ownership of society and cooperation across communities. Carl Bildt the former Swedish Prime Minister has written eloquently on how trade and economic action could be a crucial unifying force in the Balkans. However, too often human rights and economic development are not equal partners; the main issue facing minorities is to challenge the subordination of human rights to the imperatives of narrowly based economic development.

MRG has hosted an international workshop on minority rights and development, bringing together delegates from 22 countries and from a range of governments, NGOs and minorities.

The broad consensus of the meeting was that development as conventionally practised, instigated and funded by international and state actors often fails to take account of the concerns, aspirations and priorities of minority communities and at times violates their rights that are protected under international standards. Article 4.5 of the UN Declaration on the rights of . . . minorities shows how a virtuous circle may be initiated:

"States should consider appropriate measures so that persons belonging to minorities may participate fully in the economic progress and development in their country".

If people in minority communities are continually marginalized, this will frustrate the achievement of the economic potential of societies; and if minorities continue to be excluded from the benefits of development this will result in serious social tensions. A shift towards inclusion will promote justice and harmony.

MRG has launched a programme that begins to address some of these gaps. The work has three components: micro level studies which focus on one issue within one minority community, macro level studies which examine the development issues faced by a country from the standpoint of the key minorities within that territory, and international advocacy (mainstreaming).

At this stage 10 micro studies and 7 macro studies are underway and will include countries such as Kyrgystan and Romania.

A number of governmental development agencies as well as minority communities have joined Minority Rights Group in this action-orientated research. We would be delighted to attract more partners and to learn from practical experiences of ‘minorities and economic development’ from those at the meeting today.

Fair and equitable polices for economic development will reduce the potential for ethnic conflict and lead to sustainable gains in a state's economy. This view is mirrored in the recent World Bank initiatives to consider both economic and social factors as two sides of the same coin.

The full and effective economic participation in society is a central commitment of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities and the UN Declaration on Minorities both inspired by the CSCE (Copenhagen Human Dimension Meeting). We invite you to consider how intergovernmental bodies, governments and development agencies should involve minority communities, when designing their programmes for development and how this can be monitored, measured and managed.