A/78/306
I. Introduction
1.
The present report is submitted pursuant to resolution 76/168, in which the
General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Assembly at its
seventy-eighth session a report on the implementation of the resolution, including
information on activities undertaken by Member States, the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Rapporteur on
minority issues, relevant United Nations entities and other re levant stakeholders to
enhance the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to
National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and to ensure the realization
of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, relig ious and linguistic
minorities, with a special focus on the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the
Declaration in 2022. The report, covering the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June
2023, provides a summary of contributions received from States and act ivities
undertaken by OHCHR and other United Nations human rights mechanisms, with a
focus on events and activities commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the
Declaration.
2.
In 1992, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration by consensus, making
it the only United Nations instrument devoted to minority rights and providing
guidance to States on protecting minorities from discrimination. The Declaration
elaborates on the contents of article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Three
decades since the adoption of the Declaration, the situation of minorities continues to
be shaped both by long-standing challenges, such as lack of meaningful participation
and statelessness, and emerging challenges, such as hate speech online and the effects
of climate change.
3.
The principle of non-discrimination and effective participation are under threat
in many jurisdictions, which affects communities in need of protection. Minorit y
women are often subject to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, which
deprive them of their human rights and at times condemn them to poverty and
exclusion. The situation requires action to be refocused onto preventing
discrimination and exclusion consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and the commitment to leave no one behind.
II. Thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration
4.
The thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration provided an important opportunity
for States and other stakeholders to take stock and evaluate the status of
implementation of the Declaration, identify constraints and achievements, and collect
examples of good practices and priorities for the future, consistent with the effective
participation, and based on the realities and needs, of minorities.
A.
High-level meeting of the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh
session to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of
the adoption of the Declaration
5.
Pursuant to paragraph 27 of resolution 76/168, on 21 September 2022, OHCHR
and the Office of the President of the General Assembly jointly organized a high -level
meeting to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of
the Declaration. The event brought together Heads of State and Government and other
high-level State representatives. The meeting was the first high-level event since the
adoption of the Declaration in 1992 to focus exclusively on minority rights. It offered
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