Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights

Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights
Author: Hurst Hannum
Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Total Pages: 801
Release: 2023-08-28
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9004633499

The scope of arrangements which provide for some degree of "autonomy" is almost unlimited, as are the norms and means which have been adopted to protect minority rights. Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights offer examples of some of the unique structures which have been developed to respond to geographic, political, ethnic, linguistic, and other differences under a single sovereignty. They present a broad spectrum of domestic constitutional provisions, statutes, and political agreements, as well as a comprehensive collection of relevant international instruments. The first section includes documents adopted on a global or regional basis to set standards for the protection of minority rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. The second section includes a wide range of national documents related to minority rights and/or autonomy. The last section contains historical documents. The author has written a brief introduction to each document to give the reader unfamiliar with the situation to which a document pertains enough information to consider its context. No single text can be used as a model of autonomy, for every situation is unique. At the same time, however, greater knowledge of a broad range of successful and unsuccessful arrangements may inspire new ideas with which to address conflicts which have claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years. At the very least, the ingenuity evidenced in some of the documents should encourage experimentation and underscore the need of going beyond the mere recitation of definitions of federalism, consociation, devolution, or other constitutional models. The great variety of institutional arrangements, the detailed provisions developed to resolve particularly difficult local problems, and the flexibility in addressing issues such as revenue-sharing or participation in international organizations, demonstrate that neither "sovereignty" nor "self-determination" need stand in the way of innovative solutions.

Culture and Human Rights: The Wroclaw Commentaries

Culture and Human Rights: The Wroclaw Commentaries
Author: Andreas J. Wiesand
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2016-11-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3110432250

The WROCLAW COMMENTARIES address legal questions as well as political consequences related to freedom of, and access to, the arts and (old/new) media; questions of religious and language rights; the protection of minorities and other vulnerable groups; safeguarding cultural diversity and heritage; and further pertinent issues. Specialists from all over Europe and the world summarise and comment on core messages of legal instruments, the essence of case-law as well as prevailing and important dissenting opinions in the literature, with the aim of providing a user-friendly tool for the daily needs of decision or law-makers at different juridical, administrative and political levels as well as others working in the field of culture and human rights.

Promoting and Protecting Minority Rights

Promoting and Protecting Minority Rights
Author: United Nations
Publisher:
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

"The present guide offers information related to norms and mechanisms developed to protect the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. It includes detailed information about procedures and forums in which minority issues may be raised to minorities and by also covering selected specialized agencies and regional mechanisms, the present Guide complements information contained in Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society"--Introduction.

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016
Author: Peter Grant
Publisher: Minority Rights Group
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2016-07-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1907919805

The unique cultures of minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide – spanning a wide variety of customs and practices – are under threat. This year’s edition of State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples highlights the impact of land dispossession, forced assimilation and other forms of discrimination on the most fundamental aspects of their identity, including language, art, traditional knowledge and spirituality. But while the effects of this attrition can be devastating, minority and indigenous cultures have also been critical in strengthening communities and providing activists with a platform to fight for their rights. As this volume illustrates, ensuring that the cultural freedoms of minorities and indigenous peoples are protected is essential if their other rights are also to be respected.

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Author: Council of Europe
Publisher: Council of Europe
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9789287157027

The protection of national minorities is a core issue for the Council of Europe, and one of the major achievements in this field is the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The entry into force of the Framework Convention on 1 February 1998 was indeed an event of universal stature, for it is the first ever legally binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national minorities in general. Its importance is widely acknowledged, and the number of ratifications has grown rapidly. Simultaneously, an emphasis is being placed on the implementation and on the efficient functioning of the monitoring mechanism of the Framework Convention. This collection provides all those interested in the protection of national minorities a user-friendly compilation of the basic texts concerning the Framework Convention. In addition to the Framework Convention and its explanatory memorandum, the collection contains texts pertaining to the monitoring mechanism in general and the Advisory Committee in particular. It further provides the state of signatures and ratifications as well as declarations and reservations. It also contains a list of State Reports received and Opinions of the Advisory Committee adopted under both the first and second cycles of monitoring.

Internal Self-Determination in International Law

Internal Self-Determination in International Law
Author: Kalana Senaratne
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2021-08-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108625681

Internal self-determination is an under-explored topic in international law. It is popularly understood to be a principle of relatively recent origin, promoting democratic freedoms to populations and autonomy for minority groups within states. It has also been viewed as a principle receiving the support of Western states, in particular. In this first book-length critical study of the topic, the reader is invited to rethink the history, theory and practice of internal self-determination in a complex world. Kalana Senaratne shows that it is a principle of great, but varied, potential. Internal self-determination promises democratic freedoms and autonomy to peoples; but it also represents an idea which is not historically new, and is ultimately a principle which can be promoted for different and conflicting purposes. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be of interest to international lawyers, state-officials, minority groups, and students of law and politics.

Democracy, Minorities and International Law

Democracy, Minorities and International Law
Author: Steven Wheatley
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2005-12-22
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780521848985

This work explores the contribution that international law may make to the resolution of culture conflicts--political disputes between the members of different ethno-cultural groups--in democratic States. International law recognizes that persons belonging to minorities have the right to enjoy their own culture and peoples have the right to self-determination without detailing how these principles are to be put into effect. The emergence of democracy as a legal obligation of States permits the international community to concern itself with both the procedure and substance of 'democratic' decisions concerning ethno-cultural groups.