Human Rights Council Resolution 13/... Rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities The Human Rights Council, Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and bearing in mind other relevant existing international standards and national legislation, (HRC 7/6, PP1 and GA 63/174, PP1) Recalling also all previous resolutions on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities adopted by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council, including Commission resolution 2005/79 of 21 April 2005 and Council resolution 6/15 and 7/6 of 28 September 2007, (HRC 7/6, PP2, updated) Emphasizing the need for reinforced efforts to meet the goal of the full realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, (HRC 6/15, PP8) Stressing that the lack of equal opportunities and equal access to education for persons belonging to minorities, in particular minority children, prevents them from contributing fully to their own communities and to the wider society and perpetuates the cycle of poverty experienced acutely by persons belonging to minorities facing discrimination and social exclusion; (new, based on IE report HRC 10/11 and HRC/10/11/Add.1, part I) Stressing further that the effective participation of persons belonging to minorities in national political, cultural, religious, economic and social processes of their societies is of paramount importance for their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and contributes to the alleviation of tensions, serves the purpose of conflict prevention and increases stability and social cohesion; (new, based on IE report HRC 13/23, part IV. A, B, C) 1. Urges States to review, enact and amend their legislation, where necessary, as well as their educational policies and systems, to ensure the realization of the right to education, as set out in the UDHR, to eliminate discrimination and to provide for equal access to quality education for persons belonging to minorities, in particular minority children, with a view to respect their identity, as enshrined in the UN Declaration, promote integration and a prosperous and stable society; (based on IE report A/HRC/10/11 and HRC/10/11/Add.1, part III) 2. Further urges States to develop adequate mechanisms for effective participation of and consultation with persons belonging to minorities in order to take into account their views in decision-making processes affecting them with a view to providing an inclusive, informed and sustainable policy implementation and to promote greater participation in the political processes of the country; (based on A/HRC/13/25, part II.A and A/HRC/10/11/Add.1, part II and III) 3. Welcomes the successful completion of the first two sessions of the Forum on Minority issues dealing with right to education and the right to effective political participation, which, through widespread participation of stakeholders, provided an important platform for promoting dialogue on these topics, and as part of its outcome identified in its recommendations best practices and challenges for the further implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities; (based on HRC 6/15, OP 1) 4. Commends the Independent Expert on minority issues for the work that she has undertaken so far, for the important role that she has played in raising the level of awareness of and in giving added visibility to the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and for her guiding role in the preparation and work of the Forum on minority issues, which contributes to efforts of improving the cooperation among all UN mechanisms related to the rights of persons belonging to minorities; (HRC 7/6, OP 1 streamlined and amended based on HRC 6/15, OP6) 5. Takes note with appreciation of the reports of the Independent Expert on minority issues (A/HRC/10/11 and A/HRC/13/23) as well as the reports of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/9/8, A/HRC/10/38 and A/HRC/10/38 Add.1) providing inter alia an overview of minority-related activities of the OHCHR as well as other UN mechanisms such as Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures; 6. Welcomes the inter-agency cooperation consultation of the OHCHR with of UN agencies, funds and programs on minority issues, led by the OHCHR, and calls upon urges those agencies, funds and programs to contribute actively to this process; to further increase their cooperation, inter alia by developing policies on the promotion and protection of rights of persons belonging to minorities and hereby drawing on relevant outcomes of the Minority Forum meetings; (GA 63/174, OP11, amended) 7. Invites the human rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, to continue to give attention, within their respective mandates, to situations and rights of persons belonging to minorities and in this regard take into consideration relevant recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues; (GA 63/174, OP14, slightly amended) 8. Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present an annual report to the Human Rights Council containing information on relevant developments of UN human rights bodies and mechanisms and activities undertaken by the OHCHR at Headquarters and in the field that contribute to the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities; 9. Further requests the OHCHR to prepare a compilation of existing manuals, guides, training material and other tools dealing with minority issues by various UN entities and to present this compilation to the Human Rights Council at its 16th session; (new) 10. Requests the Secretary-General and the High-Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the human, technical and financial assistance necessary for the effective fulfillment of the mandate of the Independent Expert as well as for the activities of the OHCHR in the area of rights of persons belonging to minorities; (HRC 7/6, OP 5, amended) 11. Decides to continue its consideration of this issue in accordance with the annual program of work of the Council. (HRC 7/6, OP6)   Draft 16 March 2010 Contact: Eva Schöfer, Austrian Mission mailto:eva.schoefer@bmeia.gv.at eva.schoefer@bmeia.gv.at, Mobile: 079 7043622 \* MERGEFORMAT 1