United Nations High Commissions on Human Rights 56th Session, March-April 2000 Item 14b: Minorities

12 April 2000

Mr. Chairman,

Last month, Mary Robinson stated that :

“there was a growing realization that racism ,racial discrimination ,xenophobia and intolerance are the root causes of most of the conflicts and human rights violations that disfigure our world.” 1

In this presentation Minority Rights Group argues that the United Nations needs to respond to this new realization by making new dynamic commitments to tackle these root causes of conflict.

The forthcoming World Conference against racism offers and excellent platform for this and at its best the UN could create a real global alliance recognizing in Mary Robinson’s words that “no society is free from people who are intolerant of difference”. Conversely this Conference could be the same old depressing squabbles, the same old moral indignation without a pause to look at the mirror of introspection.

Without this introspection and self criticism by all, and if there is congratulatory smug complacency, institutional racism will continue in most of the world as MRG research studies show and devastating conflicts such as those in Kosovo will continue unabated.

Last year the Commission was over shadowed by the war in Kosovo, where hundreds of thousands of Albanians fled in terror and many were killed. Minority Rights Group, alongside ethnic Albanian organizations, had given early warnings six years earlier of racism and of an impending conflict . Today we also give another warning that, unless substantial efforts are made by the international community, there is likely to be another violent conflict in Yugoslavia soon.

Minority Rights Group new report on Yugoslavia (2) shows the continuing tensions in Vojvodina, Sandzak and Montenegro. It emphasizes that immediate action is needed to strengthen alternative structures, -the independent media and civil society - and to create economic incentives for stability and local democracy.

If the UN Working Group on Minorities had been strengthened as a mechanism for dialogue these kinds of early warnings may find a place for real and substantial dialogue and debate between minorities and governments. MRG Chairman, Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, was murdered last July while working for peace in Sri Lanka. He was a powerful advocate for strengthening this working group to support peaceful reconciliation.

Consequently Minority Rights Group recommends various actions to strengthen the UN Working Group on Minorities:

• Funding should be provided for minorities to attend its meetings
• Governments should strengthen their participation at this May meetings,
• Informal dialogues should be planned in the margins of these meetings.

Minority Rights Group also recommends that:

• The deliberations of the Working Group on Minorities should contribute to the World Conference against Racism
• The Working Group should be asked to support the implementation of the WCR programme of action over the years to come.
• All of these measures may contribute to preventing future conflicts and to combating racism in the long term.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

1.University of Cincinnati – 9 March 2000

2. See MRG Web site www.minorityrights.org for details of MRG research publications.

2. Minority Rights in Yugoslavia – MRG February 2000