A/HRC/14/43 certain individuals and groups of individuals and to the creation of tensions or even conflict within a given society. 8. For instance, due to the fact that minorities are often perceived as a problem, rather than as an asset to a State, they are in numerous cases considered as a part of the population which cannot be associated with the “national identity” agreed to by the majority. As a consequence, members of minorities may suffer from a wide range of discriminatory practices, such as unequal access to public education, health services and employment, as well as arbitrary denial of citizenship. Denying citizenship to members of minorities or putting in place administrative procedures preventing them from gaining access to citizenship has indeed proven to be an effective tool to set minorities at the very margins of the State and to compound their vulnerability.6 These discriminatory practices create tensions between members of minorities and members of certain groups of the population which closely associate themselves with the national identity of the State. 9. The concept of ivoirité7 provides a salient picture of the adverse effects relating to an exclusive definition of national identity. The concept of ivoirité was originally used to meet the need for a cultural rallying cry in Côte d’Ivoire, where more than 25 per cent of the population originates from neighbouring countries. Two decades later, the concept of ivoirité was resorted to by some political actors during the campaign leading to the 1994 presidential elections. In that instance, it was used to praise the specificities of the Ivorian identity and, above all, to demonstrate the illegitimacy of the Ivorian citizenship — and thus the candidacy — of Alassane Dramane Ouattara, whose father was said to be from Burkina Faso. During the 2000 presidential campaign, the concept of ivoirité was again politically revived and eventually contributed to the triggering of long-lasting ethnic tensions within the country by creating a clear and artificial distinction between the socalled “real ethnic Ivorians” (those of Ivorian origin for at least two generations) and the others considered as second-class Ivorians. As a result, individuals were classified as being 100, 50 or 30 per cent Ivorian. Instead of favouring the transmission of shared ideals and values among the population, the concept of ivoirité, which was defined in an exclusive manner by the political elite in power, proved very divisive and fostered tensions and conflict within the country. 10. Pursuant to the work of his predecessor,8 the Special Rapporteur takes the view that in order to defuse tensions between members of certain groups of the population and ultimately to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, it is of utmost importance that the discussions surrounding national identity do not emphasize the concept of “otherness” as a tool to differentiate or create artificial differences between certain groups of the population. As such, these discussions should not result in the creation of categories of “others” or “outsiders” who may then be denigrated or rejected. Therefore, in cases where there is a debate on national identity, the following questions should be borne in mind at all times: how to define national identity in a way which encourages inclusion rather than exclusion; how to ensure that individuals who feel that they belong to the country may freely associate themselves with the national identity of that country; how to instil common values and principles which hold a nation together, but which are not exclusively based on ethnic or religious grounds; how to convince disparate population groups that, despite their differences, they can share an identity which constitutes the basis 6 7 8 6 For a thorough analysis by the independent expert on minority issues on the discriminatory denial or deprivation of citizenship, see A/HRC/7/23. On this matter, the Special Rapporteur refers to the report of his predecessor on his mission to Côte d’Ivoire (E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.3). Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (E/CN.4/2005/18), paras. 9–12. GE.10-12566