Title: The impact of minority rights mechanisms /
Authors: Letschert, Rianne Monique, 1976-
Publisher: T.M.C. Asser,
Year: 2005
Subjects: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.; United Nations.; Minorities Civil rights; Minorities Legal status, laws, etc.; Human rights.
Abstract: History shows a pattern of oppression, forced assimilation, and even destruction of minority groups. Although legal and quasi-legal instruments were adopted after both the First and Second World Wars, it was not until after the fall of the Berlin Wall that the protection of persons belonging to national minorities became a dominant issue in the international legal and political arenas. This book focuses on three mechanisms in the field: the OSCE High Commission on National Minorities (established in 1992), the UN Working Group on Minorities (established 1995), and the CoE Advisory Committee on Minorities (established 1997). The core question examined is whether these mechanisms, with the variety of approaches and working methods at their disposal, really make a difference in the protection of national minorities.
Contents: Minority rights mechanisms, instruments, and beneficiaries -- The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities -- The UN Working Group on Minorities -- The COE Advisory Committee on Minorities -- Evaluating strengths, weaknesses, and overlap -- Case studies on Macedonia and Croatia -- The involvement of the three mechanisms in Macedonia -- The involvement of the three mechanisms in Croatia -- Conditions and factors influencing the implementation of minority rights -- The impact of minority rights mechanisms.