UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: Fifty-third session

8 August 2001

Thank you Mr Chairman,

Mr Chairman, in Haiti, democracy is considered by many to be something quite new, and hasn’t yet had time to prove itself by bringing about major changes for the good. For this reason, maybe, when something goes wrong in the public domain, people have a habit of saying, ‘Oh, that’s democracy’.

I hope those present will forgive my flippancy. But it is often said that in every joke there is an element of seriousness. Mr Rodríguez-Cuadros’ excellent and thoughtful report on promoting and consolidating democracy very clearly points out that democracy doesn’t just involve voting every few years.

Indeed, if democracy is conceived in this way, many sectors may find themselves excluded from the process. Most of not all states of the world are multi-ethnic. In those states, a democratic system based simply on the triumph of the majority vote is unlikely to create the conditions for minority groups and indigenous communities to realise the full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

As Mr Rodríguez-Cuadros states, "democracy should transfer powers, in order to allow the poor and marginalized members of society a status of citizenship, which integrates them fully in the political and economic system, and makes them directly responsible actors at the national, regional and local levels in economic and social development strategies and policies".

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) would urge the author to develop this point more fully, if, as is to be hoped, a revised version of the report is to be produced. Minority and indigenous groups are not always poor and marginalized, but the point is nevertheless relevant, in that it indicates the importance of creating the conditions for full participation of these groups in all aspects of public life.

MRG's recent report, Public Participation and Minorities, shows that there is a very wide range of constitutional arrangements, which may be used to ensure the full participation of minorities; federalism, consociationalism, regional or cultural autonomy, various systems of voting based on lists or numbered preferences, reserved seats in parliament or cabinets, formal or informal consultative bodies, to name but a few.

Mr Chairman, recent events in Macedonia have shown that the mere presence of a minority in government is not enough to ensure the realisation of the full range of rights by that minority. Just to give two examples, until now the Albanian language has not been recognised as an official language of the State, and Albanians have not had their own public Albanian-speaking University.

Indonesia is another country which is at a turning point in its history. A new report by MRG, called Indonesia, Regional Conflicts and State Terror, shows that in this strongly centralised State, indigenous and minority groups in certain areas are questioning the legitimacy of central authority. MRG encourages the new government to implement immediate moves to grant real autonomy in those areas, and in the long-term, to carry out truly inclusive and independently monitored consultations to ascertain the wishes of the populations regarding their future status.

In many cases some form of autonomy may be the only way to guarantee that minority groups have real control over aspects of public life which directly affect them.

Mr Rodríguez-Cuadros does not touch on the question of democratic structures ensuring full participation of minorities, and it is the only fault we would find with his otherwise excellent report.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.