A/HRC/28/27
Special Rapporteur emphasized that black and minority ethnic women
“overrepresented within British prisons and immigration detention centres”.
were
54.
Between 7 and 14 April 2014, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues conducted
a country visit to Ukraine. She released a statement on 16 April in which she reiterated that
a key pillar of minority rights is “full and equal participation in public life, including
political participation at national, regional and local levels”. She also stressed the
importance of enabling students to learn both about their own origins, cultures and
religions, and also about those of others, in a positive way that recognizes the contributions
of all groups.
VI. Universal periodic review
55.
The universal periodic review is a key awareness-raising and advocacy mechanism
tool for the protection of human rights. It comprises three stages: (a) a review by United
Nations Member States; (b) the implementation of the recommendations received during
the review; and (c) an assessment of the implementation at the next review (four-and-a-half
years later). Regarding minority rights and the first stage, at its twenty-fifth session
(3-28 March 2014), twenty-sixth session (10–27 June 2014) and twenty-seventh session
(8-26 September 2014) the Human Rights Council adopted the reports of the Working
Group on the Universal Periodic Review on numerous countries.
56.
In the adopted reports, minority rights issues were discussed, and several States
made recommendations relating to: (a) legislative and practical measures to ensure the
promotion and protection of minority rights; (b) measures aimed at protecting minorities
against discrimination, particularly in employment, housing, health and education;
(c) enhanced efforts to promote the participation of minorities in politics; (d) the
implementation and enforcement of provisions on freedom of religion and belief; and
(e) measures to tackle prejudices and eradicate racial discrimination.
57.
Additional recommendations included: (a) promoting religious and ethnic tolerance,
including through awareness-raising campaigns; (b) ensuring the enjoyment of social,
cultural and economic rights, including by pursing efforts to lower the infant and maternal
mortality rates experienced by minority groups; (c) ensuring that a greater provision of
resources is directed towards regions inhabited by ethnic minorities; and (d) measures to
ensure the preservation of cultural identity, including cultural relics of significance to
minority groups. Furthermore, several States adopted a significantly higher number of
recommendations relating to minority rights than they had in their previous cycles. In doing
so, States highlighted their increased recognition of the importance of developing an
environment conducive to the flourishing of population diversity.
58.
The second stage (the “implementation” or “follow-up” stage) is the most crucial, as
it demonstrates States’ engagement and key actions that they have taken leading to the
realization of recommendations on the ground. The third stage requires information on
implementation. In this connection, each party concerned, ranging from States to civil
society to national human rights institutions, plays a very important role. While it is not
possible to report here the results of all of the recommendations accepted by States, earlier
adopted recommendations have been translated into actions in several countries. Examples
are: (a) the adoption of a national strategy for the integration of Roma communities, which
comprises several measures in different areas to improve the situation of Roma, with
different projected dates for complete implementation; (b) the establishment of an
intersectoral task force to formulate policy guidelines for educationally marginalized
children; (c) steps taken to ensure the inclusion of minority rights in constitution-writing
processes, amendments to the constitution, and the national human rights plan; and (d) the
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