A/HRC/49/81
(a)
Detecting distant or imminent threats through putting an effective data
collection system in place, adopting measures to transform patterns of human rights
violations and institutionalizing substantive equality measures to promote minority rights;
(b)
Translating early warning of violent conflicts into early response;
(c)
Placing local communities, including minorities, at the centre of early
prevention actions and supporting them to implement prevention strategies at the community
level;
(d)
Proactively using the framework of analysis tool elaborated by the United
Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect to identify the most
common risk factors and early warning signs associated with the commission of atrocity
crimes and identify situations of concern, particularly involving minorities who remain the
most likely targets;2
(e)
Establishing an independent national mechanism that is mandated to conduct
periodic risk assessments in collaboration with civil society, the media and minority groups.
47.
Global and regional early warning and prevention mechanisms should be established
to address the root causes of violent conflicts involving minorities and hate speech,
entrenched misperceptions between various groups along national, ethnic, linguistic,
religious and cultural lines and incitement to violence should be treated as early warning
indicators of conflicts unfolding.
48.
United Nations human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures of the
Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies, should strengthen their capacity to prevent
conflicts by early identification and monitoring of and reporting on the specific minority
dimension of systematic human rights violations.
49.
The Special Rapporteur on minority issues and other relevant mandate holders are
encouraged to work together with the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the
Responsibility to Protect to develop an early warning mechanism to monitor and respond to
violence specifically targeting minorities and violations of minority rights, and identify
trends and patterns that could lead to conflict and serious international crimes.
50.
Development and donor organizations should play a more proactive role in awarenessraising of minority rights among the States with which they cooperate. Such country-specific
partnerships should include monitoring minority rights for further early warning and conflict
prevention efforts.
VI. Recommendations on promoting positive initiatives to better
protect the rights of minorities to prevent conflicts
51.
States should develop long-term, comprehensive policies for combating negative
stereotypes of and discrimination against minority individuals and groups, and promote
intercultural understanding by, among other things, the teaching of the culture and history of
minorities in the national curriculum.
52.
States should fully harness and support young people’s contribution to peace through
investment in their capacities, redressing the structural barriers that limit minority youth
participation in peace and security, facilitating youth exchange programmes within postconflict regions and emphasizing partnerships and collaborative action, where minority youth
are viewed as essential partners for peace.
53.
States should ensure that educational curricula and textbooks foster knowledge of the
history, culture and traditions of minorities, as well as their positive contributions to society.
54.
States should formally recognize, teach the history of and commemorate the
Holocaust of the Jewish and Roma minorities that took place during the Second World War.
2
See “Framework of analysis for the prevention of atrocity crimes: a tool for prevention” (2014).
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