All countries in the world include persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious, cultural, sexual and linguistic minorities, enriching the diversity of their societies. Although a great variety of minority situations exist, common to all is the fact that, very often, minorities face multiple forms of discrimination resulting in marginalization and exclusion. Achieving effective participation of minorities and ending their exclusion requires accountability and inclusion of their rights and participation in decision making procedures.
Minority rights are human rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities; and also the collective rights accorded to minority groups. The protection of the rights of minorities is highlighted in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in several other treaties and conventions that are endorsed by the UN member states.
The promotion and protection of the rights of minorities require particular attention to be paid to issues such as the recognition of all the minorities’ existence; efforts to guarantee their rights to non-discrimination and equality; the promotion of multicultural and intercultural education, nationally and locally; the promotion of their participation in all aspects of public life; the inclusion of their concerns in development and poverty-reduction processes; disparities in social indicators such as employment, health and housing; the situation of