A/HRC/10/38
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that Ireland recognize Travellers as an ethnic minority group (CCPR/C/IRL/CO/3) and that the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland increase the representation of women and
ethnic minorities in the judiciary (CCPR/C/GBR/CO/6).
6.
At its ninety-fourth session, held from 13 to 31 October 2008, in its concluding
observations on the report of Denmark (CCPR/C/DNK/CO/5), the Committee recommended that
the State party should pay particular attention to the self-identification of the individuals
concerned in the determination of their status as persons belonging to minorities or indigenous
peoples. The Committee recommended that the State translate and disseminate the concluding
observations in minority languages spoken in Denmark, including Faroese. With regard to the
report submitted by Japan, the Committee requested that the State party’s fifth periodic report
and the present concluding observations be published and widely disseminated, to the extent
possible, in national minority languages (CCPR/C/JPN/CO/5).
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
7.
At its thirty-eighth session, held from 30 April to 18 May 2007, in its concluding
observations to the State report on Latvia (E/C.12/LVA/CO/1), the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights noted with approval the efforts made by the State party to increase
educational opportunities for Romani children, including the National Programme on Roma in
Latvia (2007-2009), which includes specific measures on education and integration. At the same
time, it expressed concerns that the State Language Law, which mandates the use of Latvian in
all dealings with public institutions, including administrative districts, may be discriminatory in
effect against linguistic minorities living in the State, including the Russian-speaking minority,
which constitutes a significant proportion of the population and, in particular, members of
linguistic minorities, especially older persons, may be disadvantaged in their claims to public
authorities with regard to their entitlement to public services, which has a negative impact on
their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. It recommended that the State party take
measures to increase school attendance by Romani children, provide adequate support to
members of linguistic minorities, take temporary special measures to ensure that minority
women have the same access to the regular labour market and remuneration as men, and provide
vocational training in minority languages.
8.
At its fortieth session, held from 28 April to 16 May 2008, in its concluding observations
to the State report on India (E/C.12/IND/CO/5), the Committee expressed concern about the
negative effect of cultural stereotypes and personal laws of minority groups on the enjoyment of
economic, social and cultural rights by minority women.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
9.
At its seventy-second session, held from 18 February to 7 March 2008, the Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination requested updated data on education, poverty and
unemployment for ethnic groups and minorities from Belgium (CERD/C/BEL/CO/15) and Fiji
(CERD/C/FJI/CO/17). In its concluding observations to the report of the Republic of Moldova
(CERD/C/MDA/CO/7), the Committee, while commending the inclusion of a chapter on the
rights of national minorities in the national human rights plan of action for the period 2004-2008,
highlighted several shortcomings, including the lack of disaggregated statistical information, the
need to represent more effectively the interests of national minorities and to guarantee equitable