The Right to Effective Participation of Minorities and the International Human Rights Law: Lund Recommendations

Abstract:     
Political participation and representation of minorities is an important aspect of a democratic society, ensuring that the interests of the minorities are recognized and realized in the best way possible, in a friendly and open environment and encouraging loyalty to the state among its minorities. In pursuing their interests, minorities often face under-representation or even non-representation in public life. The right to participation cannot be effectively exercised without the adequate respect of other rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association. All political decisions and their implementation have greater validity, better quality and improved chances of success if minority representatives take part in them along with representatives of the majority.

Various aspects of political participation in practice have been elaborated by treaty monitoring bodies such as the Human Rights Committee and the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention. Moreover, a group of experts convened under the auspices of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities developed the so-called Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life.

Note: Downloadable document is in Romanian.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 9

Keywords: Political participation, minorities, Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life, political decisions, parliamentary representation, legislation, electoral system

JEL Classification: K33

Accepted Paper Series