Human Rights Council
Forty-ninth session
28 February–1 April 2022

Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, provides an overview of activities undertaken since his previous report (A/HRC/46/57). In the thematic section of the report, he discusses conflict prevention through the protection of the human rights of minorities. Violent conflicts have increased around the world in recent years and most of the drivers of these conflicts involve minority grievances of exclusion, discrimination and inequalities linked to violations of the human rights of minorities. It is necessary to mainstream the human and minority rights framework in order to provide a more effective early warning tool and thereby help to prevent violent conflicts, and the international community must fill the significant gaps in conflict prevention mechanisms, which are failing to focus on the main drivers in most contemporary conflicts.

« Main activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur from July to December 2021

1. On 13 July 2021, Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, addressed a side-event on the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims Worldwide organised by the International Human Rights Committee and the “Coordination des associations et des particuliers pour la liberté de conscience”, along with colleagues on freedom of religion or belief and on freedom of expression. He pointed out how Ahmadis appear to be increasingly marginalised as minorities in a number of countries, subjected even to severe restrictions on the practice of their religion with other members of their community, and targeted by hate speech in social media. »

G2228415 Conflict prevention through the protection of the human rights of minorities
Translate »
Share This