A/HRC/19/56/Add.1 report that “many research participants indicated that they believed that references to ethnicity or ethnic groups are prohibited in Rwanda”. 4 16. The Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, a Kigali-based social research institution, also conducted research on social cohesion in 2010 to evaluate the impact of ethnicity on social life, using a quantitative and qualitative approach.5 While noting that “strictly speaking, ethnic groups do not exist in Rwanda”,6 it continues: “however, the social reality of the ethnic group is there and influences life in society, the political decisions and the quality of social life…the ethnic logic can also become a mechanism of reasoning which consists in thinking and acting as a member of an ethnic group”. Consequently, “it would be nonsense to declare that there are no ethnic groups in Rwanda … every Rwandan is able to tell you his/her ethnic group but on the other side, everybody hesitates to discuss the ethnic issues except within the ethnic group where he/she belongs. The ethnic consciousness has become a reality over the years”.7 17. The Institute emphasized that inter-ethnic relationships have improved. However, while 53 per cent of people assessed the relations between Rwandans as “good” or “very good”, some 46.9 per cent of the population remains cautious about social harmony and considers that major challenges to social cohesion remain. According to the Institute, the underlying mistrust among ethnic groups remains and building a strong national identity requires long-lasting solutions regarding secondary identities, particularly ethnic identity. According to the Institute‟s report, the “challenges to social cohesion include extremist speeches by some politicians, the murders of some genocide survivors during gacaca trials, the lack of opportunities to organize a constructive debate around ethnic issues, and persisting ethnic bias in the management of public affairs”.8 18. Several NGOs have expressed concern regarding the Government‟s position on ethnicity and noted that refusal to acknowledge ethnic difference and monitor relative equality effectively allows discrimination in any sphere of society to continue unimpeded. One international NGO states that: “The current government‟s policy that everyone is Rwandan and no minority ethnic groups exist in the country does not address the deeprooted tensions that continue to exist in Rwandan society. Moreover, it allows a situation to develop in which a group can enjoy a de facto position of privilege, while others are forbidden to challenge it”.9 19. In its May 2009 concluding observations on Rwanda, the Human Rights Committee stated: “the Committee is concerned about the non-recognition of the existence of minorities and indigenous peoples in Rwanda” (CCPR/C/RWA/CO/3, para. 22). Equally, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concern in its March 2011 concluding observations on Rwanda that the Government‟s priority of national unity was likely to ignore the specificities of certain groups, including the Batwa (CERD/C/RWA/CO/13-17, para. 9). The Committee urged the Government to take into account the specificities of each of the groups that make up its population. 4 5 6 7 8 9 The report notes that this perception is incorrect. The report states that, contrary to popular belief, it is not ethnic, but rather economic cleavages that are most divisive in Rwandan society today. Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, “Ethnic identity and social cohesion in Rwanda: Critical analysis of political, social and economic challenges” (2010). Ibid., p. 10. Ibid., pp. 10–11. Ibid., p. 4. Minority Rights Group International, “Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Rwanda” (2011). 7