Fifth Session of the Forum on Minority Issues, 27-28 November, 2012 Agenda Item IV Statement of the Delegation of the United States of America The United States is pleased to participate in the Forum and to have the opportunity to discuss good practices in protecting the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The United States has long been a supporter of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and welcomes efforts to implement these protections within domestic legal systems. The United States has always been a multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society and we are proud of our efforts to safeguard the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The United States Constitution; the constitutions of the various states; and federal and state law and practice provide strong and effective protections against discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and national origin in all fields of public endeavor and with regard to substantial private conduct as well. I'd like to touch briefly and more specifically on the importance of ensuring that persons belonging to minorities are aware of their rights and have the information and support they need to be able to exercise them. We think this is an area that warrants further discussion and we appreciate the attention paid to this issue in the draft recommendations. As a general matter, information about human rights is readily available in the United States. The scope and meaning of — and issues concerning enforcement of — individual rights are openly and vigorously discussed in the media, freely debated within the various political parties and representative institutions, and litigated before the courts at all levels.