Starts from 01:49:22
Chairperson, Distinguished Panelists,
Finland aligns itself with the EU statement, we welcome the focus of this panel on the social and economic
participation of minority women and girls. The multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination minority women
and girls face due to their status as members of minorities as women and girls and due to other factors and
characteristics need to be recognized in the realization of the right to education.
As the Special Rapporteur on minority issues has pointed out, women and girls, indigenous peoples and minorities
are most likely to be disproportionately excluded from access to public education. Minority girls often face
discrimination, and realization of the right to education is particularly important to break out the cycle of
marginalization. Therefore, access to education takes up double importance for them.
Barriers minority children face in access to education include lack of instruction in the language they are familiar
with. Curricular excluding information about minority culture as well as financial and physical restrictions, such
as significant …[INAUDIBLE]... to travel with school. We need to find more effective ways to overcome these
obstacles.
Chairperson,
Finland remains strongly committed to the full realization of the UN Declaration on the rights of persons’
belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. The Special Rapporteur on the right to
education finalizes the mandate …[INAUDIBLE]... to Finland this week. We welcome that the rights of
minorities was one of the most focus areas of the visit, and look forward to the recommendations and future
dialogue in the Human Rights Council.
Esteemed panelists, which are the priorities we should focus on to ensure the realization of the right to education
for minority girls?
I thank you.