1.2 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR UNDP TO ADDRESS MINORITY ISSUES? In all UNDP countries of operation, there are marginalised ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. The inclusion of minorities in all aspects of country engagement would further improve UNDP’s efforts to support governments to achieve sustainable human development for all. Persons belonging to minority groups make a fundamental contribution to human development as strategic partners and as actors of change. Minorities have different perspectives that enrich the analysis of development, ensure ownership and help find sustainable and effective solutions to development challenges. There is a strong link between minority issues and each of UNDP’s key practice areas. Minorities are often poorer, regularly implicated in conflict, have less access to governance mechanisms, have higher HIV prevalence, and the regions in which they live often suffer from higher levels of environmental degradation. Increased attention to minority rights can help overcome obstacles to achieving the MDGs. Government partners will benefit from increased capacity to work with minorities. Understanding clearly why minorities are marginalised can lead to better solutions for addressing their exclusion and inequality. This can improve the productive capacity of minorities and can increase levels of human development. Attention to minorities is not always evident in national development priorities, MDG reports and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). UNDP could help strengthen national development plans by drawing attention to the negative impact of excluding minorities and the benefits of working to include minorities. Minorities can become strategic partners and support UNDP in achieving its goals. Minority civil society organizations (CSOs) and UNDP employees from minority groups could bring valuable experiences, skills and knowledge to UNDP’s work. Minorities are distinct among marginalised groups and can face particular barriers due to their cultural identity or political status. Other marginalised groups like women, children, or people living with HIV may not share such barriers. This requires different strategic responses to their marginalisation. Minorities look to UNDP as a partner to support them and their governments in addressing marginalisation and increasing minority participation in national development processes. Minority rights are human rights. The UN has elaborated specific standards for the protection of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Among these standards, minorities have a right to participate in decision-making that will affect them, to protection of their identity and to prevention of discrimination. It is important to ensure development programmes are not in violation of minority rights, either directly or indirectly. The UN Declaration on the Rights of National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities states: “The specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system shall contribute to the full realization of the rights and principles set forth in the present Declaration, within their respective fields of competence” (article 9). 2 M A R G I N A L I S E D M I N O R I T I E S I N D E V E LO P M E N T P R O G R A M M I N g