The Impact Of Minority Rights Mechanisms

History shows a pattern of oppression, forced assimilation, and even destruction of minority groups. Although legal and quasi-legal instruments were adopted after both the First and Second World Wars, it was not until after the fall of the Berlin Wall that the protection of persons belonging to national minorities became a dominant issue in the international legal and political arenas. This book focuses on three mechanisms in the field: the OSCE High Commission on National Minorities (established in 1992), the UN Working Group on Minorities (established 1995), and the CoE Advisory Committee on Minorities (established 1997). The core question examined is whether these mechanisms, with the variety of approaches and working methods at their disposal, really make a difference in the protection of national minorities. Rianne Letschert received the University of Tilburg Prize for the second best dissertation for the doctoral thesis The Impact of Minority Rights Mechanisms on the impact of international minority rights mechanisms on the implementation of minority rights.

Different cultures, languages, and religions enrich society. If this assumption was embraced by everyone, there would not be a problem. Unfortunately, past and contemporary practice shows a picture of oppression, forced assimilation, and even destruction of minority groups with characteristics different from the majority. Although legal and quasi-legal instruments were adopted after both the First and the Second World Wars, it was not until after the fall of the Berlin Wall that the protection of (persons belonging to) national minorities became a really dominant issue in the international legal and political arenas. From the beginning of the 1990s, States and their international organisations have developed new minority rights instruments and procedures that try to encourage States to live up to their obligations. This book focuses on three mechanisms in the field: the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (est. 1992), the UN Working Group on Minorities (est. 1995), and the CoE Advisory Committee on Minorities (est. 1997). The core question raised is whether the three mechanisms, with the variety of approaches and working methods at their disposal, really make a difference in the protection of national minorities. Are the interests of the minorities taken more seriously and have they been better protected due to the interventions by one or more of the mechanisms? Based on a thorough and critical analysis of the three organisations and their achievements, the author comes to a series of conclusions as to a better protection of national minorities. Since all three organisations are currently discussing ways to improve the monitoring of minority rights obligations, this book will be of great value to all persons and institutions that play a focal role in this study, be it as a scholar or as a practitioner. Rianne Letschert studied international law at Tilburg University. She is currently working as a researcher and General Manager at the International Victimology Institute Tilburg (Intervict) of Tilburg University, The Netherlands.

"The present guide offers information related to norms and mechanisms developed to protect the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. It includes detailed information about procedures and forums in which minority issues may be raised to minorities and by also covering selected specialized agencies and regional mechanisms, the present Guide complements information contained in Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society"--Introduction.

The unique cultures of minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide – spanning a wide variety of customs and practices – are under threat. This year’s edition of State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples highlights the impact of land dispossession, forced assimilation and other forms of discrimination on the most fundamental aspects of their identity, including language, art, traditional knowledge and spirituality. But while the effects of this attrition can be devastating, minority and indigenous cultures have also been critical in strengthening communities and providing activists with a platform to fight for their rights. As this volume illustrates, ensuring that the cultural freedoms of minorities and indigenous peoples are protected is essential if their other rights are also to be respected.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

This book explores the human rights monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Europe: the Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the European Committee of Social Rights, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance. The book will look at each mechanism in turn and consider a number of issues including: at the role and procedures; its effectiveness in terms of monitoring ands ensuring its findings are implemented; its level of cooperation with other international actors including other organs of the Council of Europe, UN and EU bodies, NGOs and national human rights institutions and ombudsmen; its relationship with the European Court of Human Rights; and whether human rights indicators would be useful in improving its monitoring. Each chapter will be written by an expert in the field. The introduction to the volume will outline the common features and purposes of these mechanisms as well as key questions to be addressed in the following chapters, while the conclusion will provide an evaluation of their effectiveness and consider future perspectives.

Brice Dickson examines the engagement of the United Kingdom with international human rights monitoring mechanisms, in particular those operated by the United Nations and the Council of Europe since 2000. Dickson explores how these mechanisms work in practice and whether they have any identifiable impact on how human rights are protected in the UK.

Set against previous stages of minority protection under international law, this book discusses the role of courts and court-like bodies – particularly in the Americas, Africa and Europe – in articulating and accommodating the interests and needs of ethno-cultural minority groups as part of the human rights discourse. Conceptually, it exposes different moments of intervention by such bodies involving the recognition of group existence or identity, the adjustment of human rights norms to accommodate the group’s perspectives, the establishment of processes designed to address the complexities resulting from competing claims, and the expansion of procedural avenues within litigation. The result is a fresh comparative – practical and theoretical – perspective on international jurisprudence as an emerging distinctive component in the complex history of the field.