A/HRC/22/60
and other treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, have also informed the recommendations.
8.
The range of issues included in the recommendations is not exhaustive. It is hoped
that the recommendations will be interpreted in a constructive manner, through continued
engagement, cooperation and dialogue with minority communities in the light of the
obligations of States to implement human rights standards effectively in practice.
9.
The recommendations are phrased in broad terms and can be implemented in
countries with diverse historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. There is a great
variety of country and minority situations and, consequently, different measures may be
required to promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities within a given
State. The Forum also reiterated the fact that such measures ought to be monitored and
reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they achieve their required objectives. The Forum
has consistently emphasized that standard solutions are generally neither possible nor
desirable, and that its recommendations should therefore be used as a source of general
guidance.
10.
In their efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Declaration, all stakeholders
are encouraged to refer to the concrete and action-oriented recommendations made at the
four previous sessions of the Forum, focusing on the key thematic areas of minorities and
the right to education, effective political participation, effective participation in economic
life and guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls. 1
11.
Representatives of minority communities, including associations, organizations,
traditional leadership institutions, religious bodies, and other institutions established by
minority communities themselves should be engaged in a meaningful participatory process
with regard to all aspects of the implementation of the recommendations.
12.
The Forum welcomes the information received from several stakeholders on the
measures that have been taken to date to implement its recommendations from previous
sessions. All stakeholders are encouraged to continue this involvement and sharing of
information in this regard.
II. General considerations
13.
Information provided by States and other actors demonstrates that a national
institutional framework facilitates legislative and policy development and the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of minority-related programmes. While nondiscrimination measures are essential, the rights of minorities frequently require States to
take special measures to address long-standing discrimination and inequality. Improving the
mainstreaming of minority issues, and the representation of minorities and their effective
participation in institutions such as human rights bodies and ministries working on central
concerns of minorities, are components vital to improving institutional attention to the
rights of minorities.
14.
The preamble to the Declaration emphasizes that the constant promotion and
realization of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, as an integral part of the
development of society as a whole and within a democratic framework based on the rule of
law, contributes to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and
States. Ensuring meaningful and informed participation of minorities, and the management
1
4
See A/HRC/10/11/Add.1, A/HRC/13/25, A/HRC/16/46 and A/HRC/19/71.